


Flower Gleam and Glow

by AzelmaandEponine



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers, Tangled (2010)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, Brothers America & Canada (Hetalia), Child Abuse, Creepy Russia (Hetalia), Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Hetalia Countries Using Human Names, Inspired by Tangled (2010), M/M, Minor Austria/Hungary (Hetalia), Minor Belgium/Spain (Hetalia), Russia being a Jerk (Hetalia), Russia has Issues (Hetalia), Temporary Character Death, Worldbuilding, and if i have to write a shitty tangled au, character backstories, mother knows best? more like mother russia knows best, no beta we die like men, then so be it, this takes place in the 1840s, this world needs more ameliet content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:34:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22700296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzelmaandEponine/pseuds/AzelmaandEponine
Summary: Eighteen years ago, Queen Daina and King Feliks's son was kidnapped.  Now, Tolys just wants to leave his tower and let his hair down.  When a thief named Alfred climbs into his tower, he gets his chance.
Relationships: America & Canada (Hetalia), America/Lithuania (Hetalia), Canada/Ukraine (Hetalia), Female Lithuania/Poland (Hetalia)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 40





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So. This is a Tangled AU, obviously. I have a very rough draft written, so I don't know how quick updates will be. This is also my first work in this fandom, so I'm pretty nervous. It takes place in the 1840s (the original movie took place in the 1780s), but since this is essentially a fantasy world, homosexuality isn't a big deal because I said so.

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Polania, ruled over by the Laurinaitis family. The current monarchs were the Queen, Daina, and her King Consort, Feliks. However, there was a blood curse passed down through the royal family that finally awoke in Queen Daina, and as she became pregnant with an heir, she fell very ill. Beside himself with worry for his pregnant wife, Feliks send the country on a hunt for a cure.

  
One was eventually found in the form of a mystical flower, which had been guarded for the past three decades by a man named Ivan Braginsky.  
The guards took the flower, and ground it up into medicine, which they gave to Queen Daina; after drinking the medicine, she was cured, and gave birth to a baby boy with glowing blond hair.

  
They named the boy Tolvydas, affectionately called Tolys. In celebration, the kingdom released floating lanterns across the lake.  
However, when Ivan discovered that the flower had been taken and used by the Queen, however, he was furious.  
In his anger, he did the only logical thing:

  
He broke into the castle.

* * *

Ivan peered down at the baby boy. In the time without the flower, he could feel himself aging. How foolish they were, to not realize what the flower had been capable of. Not only was it a miracle cure, but it had held the key to eternal youth. It would have been simple to just bring the ailing Queen to the flower, but _no _. T__ hey went and desecrated it, and now he had to resort to breaking into the Castle Laurinaitis.

  
He couldn’t allow himself to grow old and risk dying alone; he had to at least see his brothers again.

  
Carefully, Ivan clutched a piece of the baby’s blond hair, and using a pair of scissors, cut it.

  
There; no harm done.

  
Then, to Ivan’s horror, the lock of hair lost the golden color of the flower’s magic and turned brown.

  
The only way to preserve himself was to take the child with him.

  
Ivan hesitated; taking a child away from its parents was not something he was crazy about doing, but--he couldn’t let himself grow old and die, either. Not when he he’d been completely alone since he was twelve.

  
Besides, it would be nice not to be so lonely anymore, wouldn’t it?

  
His decision made, Ivan grabbed the sleeping baby, and stole away into the night.

* * *

The next morning, Queen Daina entered Tolys’s room, only to find the crib empty.

  
She screamed.

* * *

The king and queen sent guards all across the kingdom looking for their son, but he was never found.

King Feliks came up with the idea for a tribute on Tolys’s birthday; each year, at night, they’d let loose floating lanterns across the lake in honor of the Lost Prince—just like they’d done when he was first born—, to let him know he’d always have a home (wherever he was).

  
Each year, the festival took place.

  
And each year, their son continued to be missing.

* * *

___Seven Years Later_ _ _

“Father?” a seven-year-old Tolys asked on the night of his seventh birthday as Ivan brushed his ever-growing hair. “Why can’t I go outside?”

  
“The world is filled with bad people, Tolys, who would take you away from me and use you for their own ends,” Ivan said. “It’s better to stay here, where I can protect you.”

  
Tolys nodded; Ivan just wanted what was best for him. Besides, it was best not to argue, or he’d get mad.

  
After Ivan went to bed, Tolys, unable to sleep, caught sight of a glow coming from the window. He got up and crept to the window, and spotted glowing yellow lights hanging in the sky.

  
He stared, mesmerized; he couldn’t remember seeing those lights before.

  
Then again, he’d never been up past his bedtime before, either.

  
Tolys continued to watch the floating lights well into the night.


	2. When Will My Life Begin?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tolys asks to leave his tower; Alfred, and two friends steal the Crown of the Lost Prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whattt??? Another chapter already???? I wouldn't expect updates to be this quick, this chapter just needed some minor changes.
> 
> And uhh, trigger warning warning for emotional abuse in this chapter.

_Eleven Years Later_

Tolys was almost eighteen years old, and he’d still never left his tower. His hair was now nearly seventy feet long, which was a hassle, but if it were cut, it would lose its power.

Since he was still confined to his tower, he did a lot of the same thing--sweeping, brushing (and brushing and brushing and brushing) his hair, baking, puzzles, painting, and reading books.

And while Tolys loved literature, he’d read every book in the tower multiple times.

He was _bored_.

It was a little past three when his chameleon best friend, Eduard, managed to rope him into a game of hide-and-seek. Though since he lived in a tower, there were only so many places to hide.

“Found you!” Tolys said, opening the window and plucking Eduard off the sill.

Eduard looked slightly put-out.

“So now what?” Tolys asked. “Tic-tac-toe?”

Eduard gave him a look.

“Do you have any ideas?” Tolys asked.

Eduard pointed his tail towards the window.

“I don’t think so,” Tolys said. “I like it in here, and so do you.”

Eduard looked quite disappointed.

“Okay, how about checkers?” Tolys suggested.

Eduard rolled his eyes but assented.

“My eighteenth birthday’s in three days,” Tolys said as he got one of his pieces to the edge of the board.

“I’m hoping Father will let me leave this year.”

Eduard’s eyes narrowed, but jumped one of Tolys’s pieces. Tolys knew how Eduard felt about Ivan, though Tolys didn’t know why. Ivan was just protecting him, even if he was rather scary.

“It’ll be different this year,” Tolys said. “I’ll be an adult. I know he’s always said no before, but this year, he might let me go.”

Eduard still did not look convinced.

* * *

“Hey! Hurry up, you bastards!”

Alfred F. Jones rolled his eyes.

“I’m coming,” he told Lovino. Somewhere behind him, Feliciano affirmed he was coming as well.

As Alfred climbed onto the castle, he stopped to enjoy the view.

“I could get used to this,” he commented.

“We have a job to do, asshole!” Lovino snapped.

“Just a minute,” Alfred said. The kingdom stretched far beyond the eye could see. “I’m used to it. Guys, I want a castle.”

“After we do this job, you should buy one!” Feliciano chirped.

Lovino’s eyebrow twitched. Alfred and Feliciano followed him through a trap door and into the castle.

They cut through the corridors, avoiding the guards. Finally, Alfred spotted it--the Crown of the Lost Prince.

Alfred ran ahead of the Vargas brothers and swiped it off the pedestal; with the money he’d get from this job, he and Matthew could live comfortably for a long time.

He was heading back to Lovino and Feliciano when he heard a shout.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

Alfred turned to see a large blond man running towards them—Ludwig Beilschmidt, Captain of the Guard.

Well, this was just fantastic.

Alfred put the crown in his satchel, and followed the Vargas brothers, who’d taken off running at the shout.

They made it out of the castle as the screaming and yelling got louder, but Alfred paid it no attention.

His concern was himself and Matthew.

The three of them made a beeline for the woods, where few--if any--lived. It’d be easy to disappear in the cluster of trees.

* * *

There was clearly something going on, judging by all the screaming and yelling.

Feliks called up one of the guards, Basch Zwingli.

“Like, what’s happening?” he demanded. “It sounds like we’re under attack or something. We’re not, right? Because if we are, we’re totally giving them a taste of Polanian power.”

Polania had been enjoying an era of peace—the last time they’d been at war was with Fennescandia, during Daina’s grandfather’s time. Polania had been victorious—they could be again, if that were the case.

“It’s the prince’s crown, your majesty,” Basch said. “It’s been stolen.”

Feliks felt like he’d just been plunged into a river of ice-cold water. Next to him, Daina gave a sob.

“Well, what’re you standing around here for?” he snapped. “Go get it back! And like, bring the thief back alive. I’ll show him what happens when you mess with Polania myself.”

Basch nodded, and set out to fulfill his orders.

* * *

“I can’t wait until Mattie and I have our own castle,” Alfred said, as they ran deeper into the woods. “You two are invited, of course--”

“Less talking, more running!” Lovino snapped.

* * *

It was a little after four when a voice rang out.

“Tolys! I’m back! Let down your hair!”

Ivan.

Tolys jumped up and let his hair down through the window, waiting for Ivan to climb up.

Perhaps it was because of his hair’s power, but it didn’t hurt at all.

When Ivan was inside the tower, he set down the basket of groceries.

“It is amazing how you do that each day, Tolys,” Ivan said. “Isn’t it tiring?”

“Oh--it’s no big deal, really,” Tolys said.

Ivan cocked his head to the side.

“Then why does it take so long?”

Tolys’s stomach clenched slightly.

“Um--” he said.

“Oh, I am just teasing!” Ivan said, smiling. Tolys winced as Ivan’s heavy hand patted his head.

Eduard hopped into Tolys’s shoulder and glared at Ivan.

“Uh--Father--” Tolys began.

“Not now, I’ve had a long trip back,” Ivan interrupted, sinking into a chair. He grabbed a brush.

“Sing for me, would you?”

Tolys went over and sat at Ivan’s feet. 

“Flower gleam and glow,” he began. As he sang, his hair began to glow. When he finished, he tried again.

“Father, listen--”

“Oh, Tolys,” Ivan said. “So quick with the demands, aren’t you? Without so much as a hello, too.”

Tolys tried not to cringe as his stomach clenched painfully. He often got bad stomach aches when talking to Ivan, like how he felt after eating too many žagarėliai. That was just a coincidence, though.

Right?

“It is just a joke, Tolys!” Ivan said. “You should laugh, _da_? You really need to learn to understand jokes!”

Tolys let out a hesitant laugh.

“Uh--alright,” he said. “Listen, Father, my birthday's in three days--”

“Speak up, Tolys,” Ivan said. “Mumbling doesn’t suit you.”

“My birthday is in three days,” Tolys said.

“And?” Ivan asked.

“I know what I want,” Tolys went on. Anxiety was clogging his throat, and he had started to fiddle with the hem of his shirt. “I--I want to see the floating lights!”

Ivan just looked at him.

“Oh! You mean the stars, _da_?” he said.

“No,” Tolys said. “I’ve charted the stars. These are different. They only appear on my birthday. I thought, since I’ll be eighteen, you might let me see them this year.”

Ivan’s deep violet eyes took on a dangerous gleam; Tolys unconsciously took a step back.

“You want to go outside?” he said, striding over to the window and closing the shutter. “Why on earth would you want that? You know why we stay in this tower.”

Well, it wasn’t so much _them_ as it was _him_. Ivan left fairly regularly to get supplies—he had once hoped to find his brothers, but had since accepted they were probably dead.

“I know, but--”

“It’s the only way I can protect you,” Ivan continued.

“I just--”

“Do you know what’s out there, Tolys?” Ivan continued. “Thugs. Bloodthirsty Fennescandians. Poison Ivy. Quicksand. _Consumption_.”

“Consumption?” Tolys repeated.

Ivan just smiled and nodded, looking strangely cheerful for such a morbid topic.

“Men with pointy teeth, as well,” Ivan added. “No more, okay? It is upsetting.”

Tolys hadn’t realized he was starting to tremble.

“Father’s right here, Tolys,” he said, stroking his hair. “I’ll protect you.”

Tolys leaned into the touch before Ivan disappeared.

“You know what you should do, Tolys? Stay here with me. But if you insist, fine. Go ahead and get snapped in half, or get mugged and left for dead.”

Fear clogged his throat as the oil lamps went out and Tolys was shrouded in darkness.

A lantern was lit on a table.

“Go ahead and leave,” Ivan continued, looking despondent. “Everyone does.”

Guilt twisted around like a dagger in Tolys’s stomach.

“No--”

“Abandon me and let me die alone,” Ivan continued. “I’ve been doomed to that since I was twelve, _da_?”

Tolys felt it would be insensitive to point out that his family had died, not abandoned him.

“Father--”

“When it’s too late, you’ll see that I know best,” Ivan said. “You’ll want me to protect you again. Take my word for it. On your own, you won’t survive.”

And now the stomachache was back again. It got worse as Ivan continued, laying out all of Tolys’s flaws.

“You’re fragile, underdressed, plain, and clumsy,” Ivan said. “You need me just to keep all that under control. They’ll eat you up alive.”

Tolys felt very small.

“Oh,” he said, wanting to hide his bare feet.

Ivan wasn’t done yet.

“Gullible, naive, stupid, can’t take joke,” Ivan practically sang. “And you’re getting a bit chubby, _da_? I’m only telling you because I love you!”

Ivan turned the lantern out, and Tolys immediately began searching for his father in the darkness.

He didn’t need to bother; Ivan turned the oil lamps back on.

Tolys ran to him.

“Don’t worry, Tolys,” Ivan said. “I’ll help you. Just one thing.”

Tolys looked up at him; Ivan was once again, giving off a frightening aura as his eyes bored into Tolys’s.

“Tolys. Don’t ever ask to leave this tower again,” he said, his voice low.

“Yes, Father,” Tolys said.

Ivan brightened immediately.

“I love you more than anything, Tolys,” Ivan said.

“I love you, too,” Tolys said embracing Ivan, who began stroking Tolys’s hair.

“Oh! I forgot to pick up bread!” Ivan said. “I’ll be back in a little bit, alright?”

Tolys nodded; Ivan used Tolys’s hair to exit the tower.

Eduard hopped onto Tolys’s shoulder after Ivan was gone.

“It’s not that bad,” Tolys said, feeling hollow. “I have my father’s love. That should be enough, right?”

Eduard scoffed.

“I have everything I could ever want,” Tolys continued. “Except--you know...a door.”

He sighed.

“Father’s right,” he said. “Given everything that’s out there, it’s better if I stay here.”

Still, Tolys looked longingly outside.

“But when will my life begin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fennescandia is loosely based off of the Swedish Empire.
> 
> žagarėliai is a Lithuanian dessert (the Lithuanian variant of angel wings)
> 
> If you didn't know, consumption is what they used to call tuberculosis.


	3. Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred splits with Lovino and Feliciano and finds a tower.
> 
> Tolys tells Ivan what he "really" wants for his birthday, and convinces the intruding thief to escort him out of his tower.
> 
> Matthew worries about Alfred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's been a minor edit to the last chapter concerning the timeline, because apparently I can't do basic math (basically, Tolys's birthday is in three days, not two).

Alfred leaned against a tree trunk, trying to catch his breath when he spotted something; a wanted poster.

“Oh no,” he said. “Again?”

The Vargas brothers looked at him.

“What?” Lovino asked.

Alfred pulled the poster off the trunk and showed him.

“They can't keep my brother and me straight!” he cried. The poster read “Alfred Jones”, but the picture displayed a boy with wavy hair and a stray curl.

“Seriously?” Lovino said.

“Easy for you to say, they can tell the difference between you and Feli--”

“What’s that?” Feliciano said; Lovino and Alfred fell silent.

“What’s--what?” Alfred asked.

“I thought I heard--” Feliciano began, then jumped as a twig snapped.

All three of them waited with bated breath, but a deer simply dashed through the woods.

Still, Alfred cast a look in the direction of the castle.

“We should split up,” he said.

Lovino and Feliciano stared at him.

“What?” Lovino said.

“I’ll take the crown,” Alfred said. “You two head on back.”

“Hey, asshole, are you out of your fucking mind?” Lovino snapped.

“The punishment for thievery’s been really severe since the Lost Prince went missing,” Alfred said. “You and Feli could get into a lot of trouble.” 

“So could _you_ , asshole!” Lovino said.“And I don’t want to be the one to fucking explain to your brother about why you’re in prison for the rest of your goddamn life! This isn’t some “rot in a prison cell for five years because you stole some bread” thing, this is the _Crown of the Lost Prince_.”

“Aw, don’t worry, Lovino! The Hero won’t get caught! And it’s not like they know _who_ was working with me. You and Feli will be fine, just go on back to the tavern,” Alfred said.

Lovino’s face went redder than a tomato.

“I’m not worried, asshole!” Lovino snapped.“I just don’t want deal with Matthew interrogating me!”

“Lovi, maybe Alfred’s right.”

Lovino turned to look at Feliciano.

“Well, they’re kind of big and scary.Wouldn’t we be safer at the tavern?” Feliciano asked.“Alfred can handle them! He’s amazing!” 

Lovino just glanced at his brother before looking back at Alfred.

“Look at it this way,” Alfred said reasonably. “If we split up, only one of us has to lose the guards. I’ll meet back up with you at the Snuggly Duckling.”

Lovino held his gaze for a moment longer, then sighed.

“You’d better, bastard,” he finally said. “We’ll be waiting with your brother.”

He watched as Lovino and Feliciano took off in the direction of the Snuggly Duckling, and he turned and headed deeper into the woods.

* * *

It wasn’t long before Ludwig caught up to him, riding a horse that seemed to glower at him.

Stupid demon horse.

“Halt!” Ludwig barked.“We’ve got you now, Jones.” 

“Yeah...I don’t think you do,” Alfred answered. Without waiting for a response, hetook off running, sliding under a fallen trunk.

“After him! We have to get back that satchel at all costs!”

“No, really, Lutz?” Came a retort from Ludwig’s albino older brother, also in the Royal Guard (Gilbert was his name, wasn’t it?).“I had no idea why we were _chasing him through the forest!_ ”

Alfred weaved through the woods, climbing trees, leaping from branches as their voices began to get quieter, eventually fading away entirely—

And landed on Ludwig’s demon horse.

Apparently, Ludwig had fallen off some ways back.

The horse galloped on for a few moments before coming to a stop and glaring at him.

Alfred gave it a nudge. The horse refused to move.

“Come on!”Alfred whined. “Help me out, here! This is really important!”

If anything, the horse’s glare deepened. 

“I know I was technically stealing, but it’s for a good cause, I swear,” Alfred said.

The horse continued to look unimpressed.

“Haven’t you ever heard of Robin Hood? Steal from the rich, give to the poor? Well, everyone at the castle is rich, and Mattie--that’s my brother--and I are poor,” Alfred said.

At that, the horse bucked him off. Alfred barely managed to keep hold of the satchel and he went sailing through branches and thickets before landing on the edge of a drop-off, barely managing to keep his balance.

Wincing and more than a little winded, Alfred glanced down; it _was_ possible to climb down below, but the way down was rocky and jagged and not all that safe to travel by foot.

He heard galloping behind him and turned to see the demon horse charging for him.

Well, it was worth a shot.

He stumbled down the jagged slope, hopping down from one ledge to the next; he managed to get down to the ground with little more than a few bumps and bruises.

He dove behind a boulder situated in front of a rock wall with an overgrowth of rosemary.As the horsemade it down the cliff and went by, Alfred spotted the rosemary shifting with the wind.

He stuck his hand through the plant, only to discover a hole.He parted the rosemary, and found it more really more of an alcove.

He ran into it, and not a moment too soon; the shadow of Ludwig’s demon horse passed by, signifying it was giving another pass through.

Alfred exited through the other side, coming to a wide open area with a lone tower.

He stared, hardly believing his luck. It would serve as a good place to hide for a while, at least.At least until the horse had gone.

He began to climb.

* * *

Someone was climbing his tower. _Someone was climbing his tower_.

Tolys stood apprehensively, back against the far wall.

Who could it be? Ivan would have announced his return.

Thoughts flew through his head, each worse than the last.

_Thugs.A man with pointy teeth.Kidnappers!_

They had to want him for his hair, just like Ivan had always warned him about.

Dread, anxiety, and fear pooled in his gut as he looked around his room for something to use as a weapon. Even Eduard, who was always so calm and collected, looked alarmed.

Tolys’s gaze landed on a frying pan near his oven. That would do.

He picked it up, and pressed himself against a wall near the window, out of sight of anyone entering through the window.

Time ticked by, and Tolys grew more and more anxious. Finally, a pair of feet landed in his room.Tolys took aim at the head of wheat blond hair and swung.

The kidnapper collapsed; Tolys bent down and picked up the prone body, dragging it to his closet (picking up the glasses so they didn’t get broken), knees sagging with the dead weight. With some difficulty, he managed to hoist the body into the closet and force the door shut.

He stared.

“I did it!” he breathed, suddenly giddy. He turned to Eduard.“I did it! Father said I wouldn’t be able to handle it, but I did it!”

Eduard hopped on his shoulder.

“I have a person in my closet,” Tolys said. “I’m sure Father will let me leave once he finds out!”

Tolys spotted a satchel on the ground, near where the kidnapper had collapsed.Without waiting for a response from Eduard, he walked over and opened it; something shiny glinted out.He reached in and pulled it out; it was a crown.

Carefully, he walked over to his mirror, and placed the crown on his head before examining his reflection.It felt—right, somehow.

“Tolys!” Ivan’s voice called out.“Let down your hair!”

Tolys jumped and hastily shoved the crown back into the satchel, tossing it into a nearby pot, where it landed neatly inside.

He ran over to the window and let down his hair in order to hoist Ivan up, more than a little excited.

“Father! You know how you said I couldn’t see the floating lights because I can’t handle myself?” he said.

Ivan turned, and cocked his head.

“Haven’t we already had this conversation, Tolys?” he said, an undercut of warning in his voice.“And of course you can’t handle yourself.”

Tolys felt the urge to back down, but steeled himself and plowed on.

“Well--yes--but it’s not like anything bad could happen if you were there, too--,” Tolys said. 

“Tolys, I already told you--” Ivan began.

“But there’s something you’re not aware of--”

Ivan’s eyes darkened, and Tolys’s stomach clenched--

“Enough about the lights!” Ivan hissed. “You are not leaving this tower, ever!”

Tolys flinched back, falling silent immediately.

Ivan’s face softened.

“See what you made me do?” he said. He reached out a patted Tolys on the head. “You know I don’t like fighting…”

Tolys said nothing. Had he never planned on letting him leave the entire time?

Something in the back of his mind whispered _yes, you’ve always known that_.

Perhaps he did. Tolys thought, a plan quickly forming. It was crazy--risky--but if he did it right, it could work.

“I was just going to say,” Tolys began timidly, “that I know what I want for my birthday.”

“And that is?” Ivan asked wearily.

“Some paint,” Tolys said, heart thudding against his chest. “From the little white shells you got me that one time.”

If this worked, Ivan would be out of the house for close to a week.

“That is a three day trip, Tolys,” Ivan said. “You know I don’t like being away from you that long…”

“Please,” Tolys said, ignoring a stab of guilt. “It’s what I want.”

Ivan sighed.

“You are certain you will be alright by yourself?” He asked.

Tolys nodded.

“We should have enough food,” he said.

Ivan nodded.

“Very well. And we’ll have šaltibarščiai when I get back,” Ivan said. “Your favorite.”

Relief swept over him.

“Thank you, Father,” Tolys said. Ivan grabbed a basket and got ready to leave.

“Farewell, my little Sunflower,” he said. “I’ll see you in a week!”

“Good-bye, Father,” Tolys said as Ivan left.

Now, onto step two.

* * *

When Alfred woke up, the first thing he was aware of was a killer headache. He groaned and opened his eyes to see a dark room, noticing his glasses were a bit askew; there was something preventing movement, but he didn’t know what. It felt much nicer than rope, though.

A boy emerged from the shadows pointing a frying pan at him. He attempted to move, but found that he couldn’t.

“Who are you and how did you find me?” he asked. 

Alfred blinked, and looked down at himself; he was bound to a chair in the boy’s impressively long hair.

The boy spoke again.

“Who are you, and how did you find me?”

Despite the fact that the boy was trying to appear imposing, even Alfred could tell he was scared.

He offered a boy a smile to help put him at ease.

“Alfred,” Alfred said. “I’m Alfred F. Jones.And. Uh.Sorry for dropping in like this, I promise I was never gonna hurt you or anything—I was just running away from Ludwig, but he has this demon horse and the horse threw me off and I ran down the cliffside but the horse followed and I found this tower, so I decided to hide here—”

If anything, the boy looked more confused.

“I know why you’re here,” he eventually said.

“You—you do?” Alfred said. “But I don’t even know who you are.”

“Tolys,” the boy said. “You want my hair, don’t you?”

Alfred blinked, completely lost.

“No. Why would I want your hair…?”

Tolys hesitated, lowering the frying pan slightly.

“So, you-- _don’t_ want my hair?”

“No,” Alfred said. “What would I even do with it?”

Tolys didn’t answer.

“Alright,” Alfred said. “Look, I just need my satchel, so if you could just give it to me, I’ll be on my way--”

“Wait !” Tolys cried. “Um.Can you wait a minute, please?”

“Uh...sure,”Alfred said. It wasn’t like he was going anywhere.

Alfred watched as Tolys turned and quietly conversed with the chameleon perched on his shoulder, which appeared to be scrutinizing him.

Apparently, it was the day for demon animals.

Alfred caught snippets of what Tolys said—

“I think it’ll be okay—”

“He said he doesn’t want my hair, and he seems nice—”

A few minutes later, Tolys turned back to face Alfred.

“I’ll offer you a deal,” he said.

“Uh, alright,” Alfred said.

Tolys took a deep breath.

“You know those floating lights? The ones that will appear in three days?” Tolys said.

“Floating--? Oh, do you mean the lantern thingy they do for the prince?” Alfred said.

“Lanterns,” Tolys muttered, turning to his demon chameleon. “I told Father they weren’t stars!”He turned back to Alfred. “Alfred.I want you to take me to see the lanterns.And I’ll give you back your satchel. Which I have hidden.”

Alfred supposed that was fair; he _had_ broken into Tolys’s house. 

“Sure,” Alfred said.

“You will?” Tolys asked, blinking.

“Course! It wouldn’t be heroic to refuse,” Alfred said.“Especially since I broke into your home and all.”

“Oh--um--okay,” Tolys said. “My father will be gone for the week, so your satchel will be fine until we get back.”

“Okay! Let’s go. Mattie’s probably pissed by now…” Alfred trailed off.

“Mattie?”

“My twin brother,” Alfred said as Tolys released him. When he was freed, Alfred immediately climbed down the tower.

“Hey, Tolys!” Alfred called when he didn’t immediately follow. “You coming?”

* * *

Tolys closed his eyes as he used his hair to descend from his tower, tentatively touching a toe to the grass.It was cool and damp and soft.

“Wow,” he breathed, placing both bare feet on the ground.“It feels _great_.”

A smell wafted through the air—something Tolys had once only dreamed he might experience for himself.

A cool breeze was blowing, but Tolys couldn’t even be sorry he didn’t bring a jacket.

Tolys let out a breathy laugh.

“I did it!” He said.“I left! I can actually run, or—or _anything_ —”

Alfred cocked his head. 

“Haven’t you ever been outside before?”

“No,” Tolys said. “My father never let me leave. He’s really afraid of something happening to me.”

At that a wave of guilt hit him.

Ivan.He’d be crushed.

Tolys leaned against a tree—a _real_ tree, taking note of how the bark felt—and sat, suddenly much less elated.

“Tolys?”

* * *

Matthew was worried.

That in itself wasn’t too odd--he’d always been more prone to anxiety than his twin. Of course, half the time, Alfred was the source of his anxiety.

It wasn’t that Alfred couldn’t handle himself--Matthew knew he could. But Alfred was impulsive, loud, and his social skills were--not the greatest, to put it lightly.

It wasn’t Alfred’s fault; it was just the way he was, and when Alfred _wanted_ to, he could read the atmosphere, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t hard for him. Most of the time, he didn’t bother, and he had no filter, so he was incredibly blunt.

So, yes, when Feliciano and Lovino came back from their “job” without Alfred, Matthew was worried.

“Alfred said we should split up!” Feliciano had said when Matthew had questioned him. “He took the crown and sent us back here!”

Of course he had; it was typical of Alfred, always playing the hero. Matthew blinked as the second part of the sentence registered.

“Wait, crown?” Matthew asked.

“Ve! The Lost Prince’s crown,” Feliciano said, either unaware of or ignoring his older brother’s glare. “Didn’t he tell you?”

“No,” Matthew said. “He didn’t.”He swallowed. “You stole the _Lost Prince’s crown_?”

“Keep your voice down, bastard!” Lovino said. “That crown will be worth a lot.It’ll set all of us up nicely.”

“But--” Matthew began. The crown was all King Feliks and Queen Daina had left of their lost son; it felt like crossing some sort of line to just steal it for a get rich quick scheme. And if Alfred was caught, there’d be no getting him out of trouble.“Lovino. You’re supposed to be the smart one—”

“I tried to talk him out of it, asshole!” Lovino snapped.“But when has anyone been able to tell your brother what to do?”

Okay, he had a point.

“Do you know which way Alfred went?”

“No idea,” Lovino said. He glared at nothing in particular. “Stupid bastard.Could be anywhere…”

Matthew knew Lovino well enough to know that underneath the grumpy exterior, he was worried, too.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Matthew!” Feliciano said, ever the optimist. “He always is!”

Matthew nodded, willing himself to believe it. It _was_ Alfred, after all; things tended to turn out for him.

* * *

Hours later, Alfred still hadn’t returned, and Matthew’s worry returned in full-force. Across the tavern, he could see Lovino getting more and more agitated, snapping at his brother for innocuous things while Antonio tried to calm him down.It didn’t help when Erzsébet came over to ask about Alfred herself.

“Are you alright, Matvey?” Matthew’s girlfriend of one year, Iryna, asked.

“I’m fine,” Matthew answered, turning his attention of her instead.Iryna was holding a small book, he noticed.

“What’s that you’ve got there, eh?” He asked, partly to distract himself.

“Oh, it’s a family tree,” Iryna told him.“Natasha and I have been looking into missing family members.”

“Oh—sorry, didn’t mean to pry,” Matthew said.

While Matthew knew that she was well aware of who her paternal grandfather was, he had remained unmarried; they were more than likely searching for whoever her grandmother had been.

However, the talk of missing family members brought thought of Alfred back to the forefront of Matthew’s mind; he knew it was stupid, Alfred wasn’t missing he just _wasn’t here_.

He sighed, looking at the door; it, of course, didn’t open.

“I’m sure he’s fine, Matvey,” Iryna soothed, laying a hand on his arm. “It may have simply taken him longer to lose the guards.”

“He probably is,” Matthew agreed. “We’d have heard by now if he was caught, right?”

Iryna nodded, though looked nervous herself.

“Of course,” she said. “It’d be the talk of the kingdom.”

“If he’s not back by tomorrow morning, I’m going to look for him,” Matthew decided. “Though he probably just got distracted by an adventure novel or more heroics.”

Iryna nodded; she’d spent enough time around Alfred to know he had a fixation on heroes--both being one, and fictional ones.

“I’ll come with you, Matvey,” she said. “You’d do the same for me if it were Natasha.”

Like him and Alfred, Iryna and her younger sister Natalya had lived in Polania their entire lives. However, Matthew knew her grandparents from both sides were from the neighboring Kingdom of Kievia, and some of their traditions--such as nicknames--had been passed down.

“Thank you, Irunya,” Matthew said (deciding not to point out that anyone trying to arrest Natalya would end up with a knife in their gut), giving her a kiss. “You’re the greatest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kievia is loosely based on the Russian Empire.
> 
> Iryna is Ukraine.
> 
> Erzsébet is Hungary.
> 
> Šaltibarščiai is a Lithuanian dish. It's cold beet soup.


	4. The Snuggly Duckling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred and Tolys head out into the woods and eventually arrive at the tavern.
> 
> Ivan comes across a horse with no rider, and rushes back to the tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear. God. This chapter was a PAIN.
> 
> I still don't like it that much, but--it's better than it WAS, at any rate.

Alfred approached Tolys.

“Tolys?” he repeated. “You okay?”

“This would kill him,” Tolys choked out, staring at the ground.

“Kill--who?” Alfred asked.

“My father,” Tolys responded, looking up at Alfred. “He’s always tried so hard to protect me, and I’m going behind his back to do this.”

“Do you not want to go?” Alfred asked. “It’s okay if you don’t.”

“No! No, I do, it’s just--I don’t want to hurt him,” Tolys said.

“Well, if you really want to, then he’d understand!” Alfred said. That was what you did when you loved someone, after all.

“You think so?” Tolys asked. The chameleon didn’t seem convinced.

“Course! And it’s not like anything bad could happen to you when the Hero is here to protect you!” Alfred said. “Come on.This way.”

He led Tolys into the woods; as they walked, Tolys introduced him to his chameleon (Eduard), and Alfred regaled him about the exploits of Robin Hood.

* * *

As Ivan went deeper into the woods, he paused as he saw a lone horse that had a saddle fastened to it. 

“Ah! Hello, horse!” Ivan said cheerily. The horse eyed him suspiciously.“Where is your rider?”

The horse, of course, didn’t answer. It put its snout to the ground and sniffed, apparently trying to pick up a scent of some kind.

_A horse without a rider…_

A cold feeling of dread settled over him.

“Tolys,” Ivan said.

He turned and ran back towards the tower. The horse’s rider had better _hope_ Tolys was alone and unhurt. He’d already lost his brothers.

He couldn’t lose Tolys as well.

* * *

“Alfred?” Tolys asked as they came building--a sign called it the Snuggly Duckling. “What’s this place?”

“It’s the tavern Mattie and I crash at,” Alfred said. “I was thinking we should stay here for the night.”

It _was_ getting late—the sun had already set, and it was getting cold.

“Who’s all in there?” Tolys said, remembering some of the things Ivan had warned him about, and grabbing Alfred’s arm. “Thugs? Men with pointy teeth?”

Alfred let out a loud, boisterous laugh.

“Don’t be silly, Tolys, they’re alright! And I don’t think anyone has pointy teeth. I’m not sure that’s possible,” he said.

Still, Tolys didn’t let go of Alfred’s arm as they went inside.

When they entered, everyone went quiet.

“They’re staring at us.Why are they staring at us?” Tolys whispered anxiously.

“Dunno,” Alfred said.“You’d _think_ they’d never seen me walk through a door before.”

At that, the chatter started up again, albeit hesitantly, though Alfred and Tolys were quickly accosted by someone.

“Alfred _fucking_ Jones!”

If Alfred hadn’t mentioned a twin brother, Tolys would have thought he was seeing double; they looked almost exactly alike.Though upon closer inspection, Tolys noticed there were a _few_ minor differences.

“Hey, Mattie!” Alfred said.

“Don’t _hey Mattie_ me, do you have any idea of how worried I was--”

“I’ve been a bit busy, but everything’s fine--”

“I thought maybe you’d been caught!”

“The Hero does not get caught, Mattie,” Alfred said. A light violet eye twitched, and he glanced at Tolys.

His expression cleared up at once.

“Oh hello,” he said.“I’m Matthew.I hope my brother hasn’t been too annoying, eh?”

“Oh, no,” Tolys said.“He’s been really nice.”

“Mattie, this is Tolys,” Alfred said. “I’m taking him to see the lanterns.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Tolys,” Matthew said, and he turned to Alfred. “I’m glad you’re okay.Just don’t scare me like that, eh?”

Alfred looked slightly abashed.

“Sorry,” he said. “Got held up.”

Tolys tried not to look guilty.

A tall and curvy woman approached them, closely followed by a pretty girl with platinum blonde hair.

“See, Matvey?” she said. “I told you he’d be alright!”

“Yeah—maybe I overreacted a bit…” Matthew admitted.

“Tolys, this Iryna, Mattie’s girlfriend!” Alfred said. “And that’s Natalya, her sister.”

“Hello,” Iryna said, smiling at him. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Natalya barely spared him a glance before focusing her attention back on her sister, pulling Iryna into a conversation about nearby sites that were potentially haunted; Tolys noticed she had deep violet eyes that reminded him of Ivan’s.

“Hey, bastard, nice of you to finally show up.”

Tolys turned to see two men who looked similar, if you discounted their expressions.

“Hi Lovino!” Alfred said. “See, I told you I’d come back!”

“Yeah? Where’s the crown, asshole?” Lovino asked.

“It’s—it’s safe,” Alfred responded.

Lovino’s eyes narrowed.

“Please tell me you did not fucking lose it—”

“No!” Alfred said. “No, I didn’t, it’s just—”

“He’s right,” Tolys spoke up. “If you mean the satchel, it’s safe.”

Lovino stared at him.

“Who the fuck are you?” he asked.

Tolys tried not to shrink back from his gaze.

“Tolys,” he answered. “Alfred’s taking me to see the lanterns.”

“Tch! That figures,” Lovino said, rolling his eyes. “Just make sure you get the satchel as soon as possible, alright bastard?”

“Lovi!” the other one chirped. “We should go see the lanterns, too!”

“We see them every year, Feliciano,” Lovino said. “It’s not that fucking special.”

“But Lovi,” Feliciano whined. “They’re so pretty!”

“Come on,” Alfred said. “I’ll introduce you to everyone!”

“Alright,” Tolys said. As if he’d say anything else. He knew Alfred (however short that length of knowing him was). He wasn’t about to go wandering off on his own.

Over behind the counter, a woman with long brown hair was glowering at them.

“Alfred?” Tolys asked.“Are we in trouble?”

“You’re not,” Alfred responded.He put on what he seemed to think was a jaunty, winning smile and walked over to the counter; Tolys followed.

“Hi, Erzsébet!” Alfred said. 

The woman—Erzsébet—slammed her hands on the counter.

“Where _have.You.Been_?” She demanded; she had a slight Hunathian accent. “Lovino and Feliciano came back _hours ago_ and you were _nowhere to be seen_ —you could have been dead, you could have been arrested—”

“Really, Alfred,” a well-dressed man with dark hair said, placing a hand of Erzsébet’s shoulder.“Can’t you _try_ to be a little less impulsive?”

“It’s probably my fault,” Tolys said.“He climbed into my tower and I knocked him out with a frying pan.”

Tolys turned to Alfred.

“Sorry about that,” he said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Alfred said.“I would’ve done the same in your position.”

“You broke into his _house_ ,” the man said.“ _Really_ , Alfred, you know better.”

“I didn’t _know_ anyone lived there,” Alfred said.

“Alfred, you really need to stop and think about the affects of actions once in a while,” Erzsébet said, but she turned to Tolys and her face softened.“Hello.I’m Erzsébet Héderváry, and I run the Snuggly Duckling.This is my fiancé, Roderich.”

She nodded to the dark-haired man next to her.

“I’m Tolys,” Tolys said.

“Welcome, Tolys,” Erzsébet said.

“Hello,” Roderich said stiffly, but not unkindly.“Roderich Edelstein.”

“Your brothers haven’t been by, have they?” Alfred asked.

Roderich glanced at him.

“No,” he said. 

“Roderich’s brothers are all in the Royal Guard,” Alfred said at Tolys’s curious look.“He’s adopted.So’s one of his younger brothers and his younger sister.”

“Would you like anything to eat, Tolys?” Erzsébet asked as she set a plate of kielbasa and rye bread in front of Alfred.

“Oh—I don’t have any money—” Tolys began, but Erzsébet waved him off.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said.“It’s on the house.” 

“Um—alright, then,” Tolys said, and decided on some salted herring.“Oh, and can you get something for Eduard, too?” He added, gesturing to the chameleon perched on his shoulder.

“Of course!” Erzsébet said.

* * *

“So, Erzsébet owns the tavern?” Tolys asked Alfred after they were done eating.

“Yeah,” Alfred said.“She looks after us—she’s kind of like having a mother.”

At that, Alfred fell silent and pulled him over to a patron (Mei Xiao, according to Alfred).

“Hey, Mei!” Alfred said, his thousand-watt grin still in place, but now a bit forced.

“Hello, Alfred!” Mei said. “It’s good to see you!”

“This is Tolys. We’re going to see the floating lanterns together,” Alfred continued.

Mei nodded, looking worried.

“Oh—be careful, Alfred!”

“Course I will!” Alfred said.“I’m the Hero, remember? Nothing can take me down.”

Mei just nodded.

“Well, I hope you have fun!” Mei said, getting up to get another drink.

“Mei’s cool,” Alfred said. “She came here from the Kingdom of Formosa. She’s really sweet.”

Alfred brought him over to another table, introducing him to Antonio Carriedo and his girlfriend, Emma Claes.

“I recently came here from Lowland,” Emma admitted.“Antonio’s been showing me around.”

The last person Alfred introduced him to was a black girl named Michelle Esparon.

“Alfred!” She said, embracing him.“Everyone was really worried, you know?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard,” Alfred said.“This is Tolys.We’re going to go see the Lanterns.”

“Hi!” Michelle said.“Alfred, be careful, alright?”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Tolys wondered.

“He’s a wanted thief,” Michelle answered.“Matthew steals too, but the guards can’t tell them apart, so they always assume it’s Alfred.” 

Tolys blinked.

“Oh,” he said.No wonder Matthew and Erzsébet had been so angry.

* * *

When Ivan got back to the tower, night had fallen.

“Tolys?” he called. No one answered.He gripped his pipe and entered the tower, descending up the stairs towards Tolys’s room. “Tolys, answer me.This isn’t funny!” Ivan said.

Still no answer.

His heart feeling like it was about to fall out of his chest, Ivan reached the top of the tower and burst into Tolys’s room and stopped dead.

Tolys’s room was empty.

“Tolys, if you are hiding, now is the time to come out!” Ivan said, his voice sounding brittle and forcibly cheery even to himself. 

Nothing. Even the chameleon Ivan had let him keep was gone.

Cold dread curling in his stomach, Ivan searched the room--Tolys’s belongings--sans his frying pan--were still here, as was a satchel containing a crown (where had that come from?). But Tolys himself was gone.

Images flashed through Ivan’s mind; the Fennescandian raid on his childhood village, the smell of smoke and fire and blood and death, his father being shot in the back, his mother shoving baby Nikolai into Dmytro’s arms right before she was run through by a bayonet, getting separated from his brothers in the chaos—

No. His brothers were dead; he knew that now. He would have heard something by now if they weren’t, somebody would have known something. It hurt, but it had been bearable because he’d had Tolys.

But now Tolys was gone, and he was alone, _abandoned_ once again (because wasn’t death a kind of abandonment?).

But Polania wasn’t at war now; there was a chance Tolys was still alive. He could get him back, and never let him out of his sight again.

He would show whoever had taken Tolys not to touch what was Ivan’s--and if they were lucky, they would not have hurt him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tolys: *isn't in the tower*  
> Ivan: *Kill Bill sirens*
> 
> You all probably know this, but kielbasa is Polish sausage. 
> 
> Emma is Belgium.
> 
> Michelle is Seychelles
> 
> Mei is Taiwan.
> 
> Dmytro is nyo!Ukraine
> 
> Nikolai is nyo!Belarus.
> 
> Lowland is loosely based off of the Low Countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)
> 
> Formosa is loosely based off of Taiwan.
> 
> Hunathia is loosely based off of Hungary.


	5. I've Got a Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During breakfast, Alfred and Tolys are forced to run, and find themselves in more trouble at the dam.
> 
> Ivan "recruits" two helpers.

Later that night, as Erzsébet was cleaning the counter, Iryna came down the stairs and sat down.

“Iryna!” Erzsébet said. “I thought you’d gone to bed!”

“Natasha did,” Iryna said, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. “You know she likes to be up in time to watch the sunrise. But I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Erzsébet set the rag aside.

“Go ahead,” she said.

“Do you and Roderich keep secrets from each other?” Iryna asked.

“Well, we don’t know every single detail of each others’ lives,” Erzsébet said. “But I don’t think that’s what you mean. Is this about Matthew?”

Iryna sighed.

“Yes,” she said. “This is about Matthew. Natasha—there are things she doesn’t want me to tell him. Family things.”

Erzsébet remained quiet, listening; she remembered how when Iryna and Matthew first started dating, Natalya would send Matthew icy glares; at least she wasn’t doing that anymore.

“It’s hard for her,” Iryna continued. “I think she’s afraid to let herself get close to anyone else after losing our parents, so she’s convinced herself all she needs is me and she’ll be fine. But I don’t want to keep this from Matvey, either.”

“Well, look at it like this,” Erzsébet said. “Roderich and I are going to be married. We _are_ family. And while some of his brothers may not like it—”—okay, so it was mostly Gilbert who was annoyed (they’d never really gotten along)—“—they accepted it. You have to decide how important Matthew is to you.It’s your life, not Natalya’s.”

Iryna nodded.

“Thank you, Erzsébet,” she said.

“Anytime, Iryna,” Erzsébet responded.

* * *

Alfred awoke to light creeping in through the window; he immediately woke Tolys, whose hair was strewn across the room.

“Tolys! Tolys, wake up!” he cried.

Tolys blearily sat up.

“Alfred?” he said after a moment. “What—”

“Breakfast!” Alfred said, bouncing on his feet. “Then we should head into town.The lanterns are tomorrow remember?”

Tolys nodded, and followed Alfred downstairs.

“Hello, Alfred,” Erzsébet greeted as they sat down at the bar. “Hello, Tolys.”

“Good morning, Erzsébet” Tolys said.

“I got you some rye bread with butter and cheese, just like you like,” Erzsébet said to Alfred. 

“Thanks, Erzsébet!” Alfred said as she put the plate in front of him. He didn’t mean to be so picky--it was just that some things were just so gross, he _couldn’t_ eat it, no matter how hungry he was. It was something that worried Matthew, but Alfred hadn’t been worried about it since Erzsébet had taken them in as teens. She’d never let them go hungry.

As she asked Tolys what he wanted, he tentatively asked for varškė , which she happily obliged—and, of course, Eduard got some breakfast as well. As the patrons filtered down for breakfast, the smell of food wafted through the air, and the chatter grew more animated—now that everyone was well-rested, they seemed even more interested in Tolys than they were last night.

“Roderich and I saw the floating lanterns last year,” Erzsébet recalled. “It was very beautiful.”

Roderich was currently not here—as someone who was adopted by a Germanican merchant but of noble birth, he had duties in the capital. 

“It’s always been my dream to see them,” Tolys admitted shyly. “Up close, I mean.”

“I have a dream, too!” Mei said, her brown eyes shining. “I want to become a florist one day! I love flowers, and know a lot about them! I just need more money.”

“I have a dream,” Michelle spoke up. “I think fish are really interesting.I really want to study to become a marine zoologist! Just imagine me publishing a book, or even owning an aquarium!” 

She _was_ passionate about sea life, Alfred knew—a couple years ago, they’d dated for about a month.He hadn’t known anyone could love sea life that much before.

“I just can’t find a school that’ll accept me,” Michelle continued, looking put-out.She’d been making money by selling things to tourists.

Soon, everyone was speaking up with their secret (or not-so-secret, in some cases) passions.

“Lovino and I want to be pasta chefs!” Feliciano chirped.

“ _Flatbread_ chefs,” Lovino corrected.

“But—pasta—” Feliciano said.

“I want to own a tomato farm with Emma!” Antonio said, making Emma smile.

“I want to open a bakery,” she said, green eyes hopeful.

“I knit scarves,” Iryna said. “I’d like to settle down one day and open a shop. Natasha’s into knife-throwing.”

Natalya looked annoyed at being brought into this, but muttered something about not caring about what she did as long as she was with her sister.

“I love ice hockey!” Matthew said, an excited gleam suddenly in his eyes. “I’d love to start a team here one day!” He turned to Alfred.“What about you, Al?”

“Well, I’m going to be the Kingdom hero one day!” Alfred said.

This was met with much eye-rolling.

“Sure, you will, bastard,” Lovino said, getting up from the table. “That’s what thieves are.”

“Yeah!” Alfred said. “As long as you protect people and act in the name of justice, anyone can be hero!”

“Al, he was being sarcastic,” Matthew told him.

“Oh,” Alfred said, his mood dropping. He watched as Lovino left the tavern, Feliciano in tow. “Well, who cares? I _will_ be a hero…”

“Of course you will, Alfred,” Matthew said.

“Matthew’s right,” Tolys said.“And thieves can be heroes, too.Like Robin Hood.”

Alfred brightened.

“Yeah!” He said.“Thanks, Tolys!”

* * *

When Ivan got to a tavern (called the Snuggly Duckling), it was morning.

Ivan had walked all night; he wasn’t about to stop, not when Tolys was missing and could be hurt.

He stared at the tavern, contemplating. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to stop at it; Tolys’s kidnapper may have stopped in, so someone might know something.

However, as Ivan passed by the window, he stopped dead.

Right in the view of the window, was Tolys. Completely at ease, completely unharmed.He was talking amiably to a blond boy around Tolys’s age—one Ivan had seen on wanted posters.

He edged the window opened, and strained to hear Tolys’s voice.

“Thank you for taking me here, Alfred,” he was saying.“I’m really glad I left my tower!”

Ivan’s grip around his pipe tightened as he was hit with the splinters of betrayal. He’d left.Despite all of Ivan’s warnings, despite Ivan’s orders, despite Ivan’s _love_ , Tolys had left anyways.

Well, he’d get him back.

Looking around, Ivan spotted two men—one auburn haired, one brown-haired.

He stalked over to them.

“Hello!” he said, smiling widely at them.

The auburn-haired one took refuge behind the brown-haired one’s back.

“Uh, hello,” he said, looking uneasy.

“I don’t suppose you know the cute blond on the wanted poster?” Ivan asked. “He took something that belongs to me.”

“Uh—” the man said. “I don’t—”

He leaned closer, being sure to show his pipe.

“I’m afraid he and my son ran off,” he said. “I’d hate for any harm to come to him! Just help me get my son back, okay? No problem.”

The two exchanged uneasy looks.

“So, you want us to help you get your kid back? That’s it, right bastard?” The brown-haired one said, fidgeting.“Alfred won’t be hurt?”

“Of course not!” Ivan said.“As long as he’s agreeable, there’s no need to crush anyone!”

The two men exchanged uneasy looks.Finally, the brown-haired one nodded.

* * *

In the morning, Ludwig, Gilbert, and Basch set out again, with Berlitz attempting to pick up Alfred Jones’s scent.

By the time he’d reunited with Berlitz yesterday, everyone had been so tired and worn out (and Jones had been nowhere to be seen), so they’d returned to the capital to regroup and rest, ready to try again in the morning.

Ludwig had asked Roderich, but his brother had denied seeing him.

His attention was grabbed by Berlitz perking up and heading off, clearly onto something.

“Come on!” Ludwig said.“Follow Berlitz!”

* * *

“The Royal Guard’s here!”

Mei’s shout caused the tavern to go silent; Natalya glanced out the window.

“The damn horse led them here,” she said.

Next to Tolys, Alfred muttered something under his breath about demon horses.

“Where’s Feli and Lovi?” Antonio wondered.

Erzsébet bit her lip and looked out the window.

“They’re not outside,” she said, looking a bit relieved. “Alfred—you have to go.Now.”

Matthew was already opening a secret passageway in the floor.

Loud rapping sounded at the door as Alfred and Tolys scrambled over to it.

“This is the Captain of the Guard! We’re here for the criminal Alfred Jones!”

“Follow your dream,” Emma said.

“I will,” Alfred said.

“I was talking to Tolys,” Emma said. “No offense, Alfred, but your dream is a pipe dream.”

“Al, go,” Matthew said.

They ran down the passageway, and the trapdoor shut behind them.

They were in a large, wide tunnel of some sort.

“Come on,” Alfred said.“This way.”

* * *

The tavern door burst open just after Matthew covered up the trapdoor; Ludwig, his horse, and two members of the Royal Guard—his brothers Gilbert and Basch—flooded the Snuggly Duckling.

“Alfred Jones! You are under arrest for crimes against the kingdom!” Ludwig roared, making a beeline towards Matthew.

“Hey—” Matthew was all Matthew got out before he was seized.

“Leave him alone, he didn’t do anything!” Iryna protested.

“Ludwig, what the _hell_ do you think you’re doing?” Erzsébet snapped. “First of all, that’s _Matthew._ ”

“What? Oh. My apologies…” Ludwig said, looking faintly embarrassed, releasing Matthew.

“Hoser,” Matthew muttered, brushing a few strands of strawberry blond hair out of his face.

Gilbert was snickering, professional as ever.

“Nice going, Lutz!”

“I didn’t see you saying anything, Gilbert,” Erzsébet said coolly. Gilbert shut up.

“There’s two of them?” Basch said.“We should look into that.”

“This one wasn’t the who took it,” Ludwig answered.

“Second, get that horse out of here. And how _dare_ you come barging in here like that !”

“We’re on official Royal Guard duty, Erzsébet,” Ludwig said.

Erzsébet brandished her skillet in retaliation; Gilbert eyed her cautiously.

“I don’t care! I’ve known all of you since you were kids, I can still _kick all of your sorry asses_ —”

“Do you even know what that kid took?” Ludwig shouted back. “The Lost Prince’s Crown! This isn’t a petty crime, Erzsébet, this is a felony.”

Erzsébet fell silent, her rage transforming into tired resignation.

_Oh, boys. What’ve you done?_

It was so typical of Alfred to act first without thinking how others might feel—not because he didn’t care, but because he had a lot of trouble empathizing with others.She would have thought Lovino, at least, would have been smarter.

Basch came forward.

“Have you seen Jones?” he asked.

“No,” Erzsébet lied without batting an eye. Even petty thievery had a steep price in Polania ever since the prince had been abducted. She wasn’t going to give Alfred up.

“He had two accomplices,” Ludwig put in.“Have you seen either of them?”

“And who, exactly, would these accomplices be?” Erzsébet asked.

None of them answered.

“You have no idea, do you?” Erzsébet said.

“It’s probably two people who come here regularly—”

“You can’t prove that,” Erzsébet answered.

Basch narrowed his eyes.

“Are you sure you haven’t seen him?” he asked. “Because it’s well-known he frequents here.”

“I haven’t seen him in days,” Erzsébet said, looking him directly in the eyes. 

Ludwig turned to the room at large.

“Has anyone seen Alfred Jones?” he called.

“Nope,” Mei said.

“Sorry,” Iryna said.

“I haven’t left here for three days,” Michelle said. “Haven’t seen him.”

“We have no idea where Alfred is, do we, Toni?” Emma said, cocking her head.

“No. None,” Antonio chirped.

A vein seemed to be close to popping on Ludwig’s head.

Gilbert sidled close to Natalya, either not noticing or not caring when she shot him a glare—probably the latter.

“Hey—Natalya, is it? How about you? You seen Jones?”

“No,” she said.

“Aw, come on, just help our search out, and maybe I can show you an awesome time afterwards—”

Only Gilbert would be brave enough to hit on Natalya Arlovskaya.

“I haven’t seen that bastard Jones,” she snapped. “Now back off before I cut your balls off.”

Gilbert eyed her warily and backed away from her.

His brothers shot him unimpressed looks.

“Search the place,” Ludwig ordered; apparently he’d forgotten Matthew was even there.

“Ludwig!” Erzsébet bit out angrily, barely biting back a Hunathian swear (learned from her parents, as she’d moved here with them when she was very little) but she really couldn’t do anything to stop them unless she wanted to be arrested.

They searched the tavern, eventually finding the secret passage.

Erzsébet kept her composure. Hopefully Alfred and Tolys were on the other side by now. As long as they didn’t see Alfred in the tunnel, they couldn’t prove anything—she knew where it came out.There were several other tunnels that came out in the same area.

Ludwig leveled her with a gaze.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“It’s a trapdoor,” Erzsébet responded.“An emergency exit.”

“Where to?” Ludwig asked.

Erzsébet didn’t see much point in lying.

“Outside.”

“And why was it hidden?”

“It’s called interior decorating, Ludwig,” Erzsébet said.

“Everyone into the tunnel,” Ludwig ordered, climbing onto Berlitz. “Let’s see where it goes.”

* * *

Alfred heard distant shouting.

_Shit._

He grabbed Tolys’s hand and broke into a sprint.

“Alfred—?”

“It’s Ludwig,” Alfred explained. “And his demon horse!”

As they ran, Alfred saw a bit of light; the end of the tunnel. A few moments later, he and Tolys tumbled out and found themselves in a canyon; there was a rickety old aqueduct and a fragile-looking wooden dam.

“Is that Lovino and Feliciano?” Tolys asked, pointing.

Alfred looked and did a double-take.

“Yeah,” he said. “It is.”

The Vargas brothers clambered down from their crop of rock, a bit above Alfred and Tolys, and ran over to them.

“Alfred Alfred Alfred!” Feliciano cried. “Listen! You can’t take Tolys to the lanterns!”

Alfred raised an eyebrow.

“And why not?” he asked.

“Because you’re wanted by the entire kingdom, jerk,” Lovino put in quickly, though briefly glanced at Tolys. “It’s dangerous.”

Alfred let out a boisterous laugh.

“The hero will be fine!” he said. “Besides, I can’t just back out on my promise!”

Lovino and Feliciano exchanged a look. Alfred suddenly noticed how pale they both looked.

“Alfred,” Feliciano began, amber eyes going wide. “There’s something you need to know--”

“Alfred Jones! You are under arrest for crimes against the kingdom!” a strong voice boomed.

“Oh, you have _got_ to be fucking kidding me,” Lovino snarled, olive-green eyes narrowing. “That potato bastard chooses _now_ of all times to show up?”

Alfred turned to see Ludwig on his demon horse, followed by his brothers, Gilbert and Basch.

Behind him, he was aware of Feliciano pulling out a rope, and the Vargas brothers using it to descend somewhere down below.

“Alfred? Who’s that?” Tolys asked.

“That’s Ludwig,” Alfred said. “He doesn’t like me.That’s his brothers with him—they’re part of the Royal Guard. They don’t like me, either.”

Alfred glanced around, looking for somewhere—anywhere—to escape to. 

“Halt in the name of the law!” Ludwig shouted.

“I think he heard you the first time, Lutz!” Gilbert said.

Alfred jumped down as Tolys took out his frying pan; Ludwig, on horseback, made a beeline for him.

Chaos erupted.

Gilbert and Basch started towards him, but Tolys, previously so timid, suddenly underwent some sort of transformation.

Using his frying pan as a bludgeon, he was able to expertly parry the strikes from Basch and Gilbert’s swords.

Tolys used his hair to trip up Bash, and a well-aimed blow from his frying pan dazed him.

Gilbert tried to attack him from behind, but Tolys caught the parry, knocked the sword out of his hand, and dazed him as well, like his brother.

“Alfred!” Tolys called, tossing him the pan. Alfred caught it, and swung at Ludwig, just barely stopping him from catching him with his sword. Another swing, and Ludwig went down.

“Huh,” Alfred said. “I see why Erzsébet likes using these as a weapon so much.”

However, the horse was still there, and had a sword in its mouth (because of course it did).

Alfred parried with it; he took a swing, and—

The horse managed to knock the frying pan out of his hand, sending it plummeting into a crevice below.

“Shit,” Alfred muttered.

“Come on, Alfred!” Tolys called, dashing forwards and grabbing his hand. With his free hand, he threw his hair upwards, using it as an anchor to a wooden structure a level above them.

Understanding, Alfred grabbed onto Tolys, and they _swung,_ somehow reaching the upper level with ease.

“How—?”

Alfred’s question was cut off by an angry neigh. The horse was now using its hindquarters to kick at a wooden beam.

“That is one persistent horse,” Tolys said.

“Tell me about it,” Alfred said. He glanced at the dam.“This dam’s old, if it’s not careful, the whole thing could collapse.”

The horse kicked the beam down, creating a makeshift bridge; a dangerous creak sounded.

The horse—and the Guard, who were all back on their feet, paid this no mind, and ran across it towards them.

“Let’s go,” Alfred said.

Tolys once again used his hair to swing, anchoring it to the beam of the rickety aqueduct. Alfred jumped onto the aqueduct itself, slipping and sliding along the path as he ran, trying to ignore the groaning and cracking. Down on the ground, he could see Tolys, hair flying free behind him; Alfred jumped.

The aqueduct collapsed, raining down rock, debris, and wood. Alfred hurriedly picked up Tolys’s hair as they ran towards the nearest tunnel--

“Just a little farther—” he said.

A loud, deafening splintering sound cracked through the air.

Not slowing down, Alfred turned just in time to see the dam burst, releasing a massive torrent of water down into the canyon, sweeping the horse and the Guard away.

“Fuck!” Alfred said. “Go go go!” 

As the water rushed through the canyon, it destroyed rock, sending it crashing down; just in time, they managed to duck into the nearest tunnel as a large chunk of rock landed in front of the tunnel entrance, throwing the tunnel into pitch blackness.

Alfred let out a sigh of relief.

“We made it,” he sighed.

He’d spoken too soon; the cave started filling up with water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Varškė is curd cheese (commonly ate as breakfast in Lithuania).
> 
> Flatbread is basically the precursor to pizza.
> 
> Germanica is based off the core Germanic countries (Germany, Prussia, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein).
> 
> And keep in mind that low empathy doesn't mean someone is a bad person--it just means that you have trouble putting yourself in their shoes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone does a lot of talking, or: Character Backstories The Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An OC technically appears in this chapter, though he's an antagonist, and it's brief.

Tolys tried not to panic as water poured into the cave at an alarming rate. First it was at his ankles...then his thighs…

“Alfred! Alfred! Where are you?” Tolys cried.

“Right here,” Alfred’s voice sounded from somewhere next to him.

Tolys blindly felt around in the dark for an exit, but it was no use; without any light, there was no getting out.

The water was up to his waist. He plucked Eduard from his shoulder and placed him on top of his head—for all the good it’d do.

They were going to drown here; if only he hadn’t insisted on seeing the lights, if he’d just listened to his father, none of them would be in this situation. His father had been right, after all--he _couldn’t_ handle himself, even with Alfred with him.

Tolys felt tears stinging in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Alfred,” he said. “I shouldn’t have made you do this.Father was right, I should’ve just stayed in my tower, and now we’re going to _die_ and it’s all my fault—”

“Don’t apologize,” Alfred said. “I’m the one who has the entire Royal Guard after them.” He paused for a moment. “You know, Jones isn’t even my real last name.I have no idea what it is.”

“What?”

“Yeah, Mattie and I were just assigned the last name Jones because our mom was from Anglia,” Alfred said. He let out a strangled sound, sounding close to a sob.“Oh, God, Mattie…”

“Well, I have magic hair that glows when I sing,” Tolys said, partly to take Alfred’s mind off the fact he’d never see his brother again, and partly because they seemed to be sharing their secrets.

“What?!” Alfred demanded.

Tolys blinked, realizing what he’d just said.

“I have magic hair—that glow when I sing,” he said. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten.He took a deep breath; the water was up to his neck now, and he was treading water. “Flower gleam and glow—let your power shine—” he sang.

It was enough; a golden glow illuminated the cave as Tolys’s hair began to glow.

“See anything?” Tolys asked, looking around.

“No,” Alfred said. 

There was no other choice than to swim down; they did so, but there was nothing there, either, except for a pile of rocks.

It was better than nothing.

They got to work on moving them, Alfred doing most of the heavy lifting. They didn’t stop, not even when blood floated from Alfred’s hand, startling Tolys.

Finally, when they got a few rocks moved, a force sucked them towards the rest, and the rest of the rocks gave way, creating a hole. They were sucked through the hole and were spit out into another body of water; Tolys and Alfred reached the surface, gasping for air.

They were in a river.

Tolys kicked, and hauled himself onto the riverbank, then checked on Eduard. He looked rather disgruntled—and Tolys couldn’t blame him—but other than that, he was fine.

Better than Tolys himself, who was now nursing a stomachache and trembling, wondering how this had even happened to him in the first place.

Behind him, he was aware of Alfred pulling himself out of the river.

“Tolys, I’m sorry.”

Tolys turned to see Alfred looking miserable—a stark change from the usual bright energy he radiated.Tolys didn’t like it.

“For what?” He said.

“What happened back in the canyon,” Alfred said.“I should’ve listened to the others, but I just went ahead anyways.None of it would have happened if I just let someone else take you.”

“It’s alright, Alfred,” Tolys said.“It’s not like you knew that would happen.”

“No, but I should have been more careful!” Alfred wailed.“We almost drowned because I insisted on doing this anyways! Some hero I am, huh?”

“Hey,” Tolys said.“We’re both still here, and that’s what matters, right?”

The stomachache seemed to be abating a little.

“Besides,” Tolys said.“We _would_ have drowned if you hadn’t moved those rocks.”

He glanced around; there was a patch of dirt near a path led into the woods.

“But—can we just—stop here for today?” Tolys asked.“I’ve had enough adventure for one day.”

“Yeah, of course,” Alfred said.“I’ll get a fire going.”

“Alfred, your hand,” he said.

Alfred looked down at it, looking slightly surprised.

“Oh—I must have cut it on the rocks,” he said.

It was deep; even now, it was bleeding.

“I can help,” Tolys said. He handed Alfred some of his hair. “Here.”

“Um,” was Alfred’s eloquent response as he took it.

Tolys sang the healing incantation—the whole thing, this time. Alfred stared in amazement as Tolys’s hair lit up and the magic went into his hand, completely healing the wound.

“Oh my God that’s so amazing!” Alfred practically squealed, somehow managing to bounce in his seat. “How’d you do that?” 

Tolys was relieved (and couldn’t help but be slightly amused) at Alfred’s usual good mood returning—for some reason, he just found that he couldn’t be happy if Alfred wasn’t.

“It’s part of my hair’s magic,” Tolys explained. “It has incredible healing powers.It can even reverse aging.”

“Reverse—aging?” Alfred asked, looking dumbfounded. “That’s possible?”

Tolys nodded.

“That’s why my father’s so protective of me. So people don’t try to take me away and use me for it. And if it’s ever cut, it loses its power and turns brown.”

“So that’s why you thought I wanted your hair,” Alfred said. It wasn’t a question.

Tolys nodded.

“Sorry—”

“It’s fine, Tolys,” Alfred said.“You’re worse than Mattie, I swear.Stay here, I’m going to go get firewood.”

* * *

Today had been an—interesting—day.From the Guard storming the tavern, to the canyon apparently being flooded (the news of supposedly no casualties was only mildly comforting).

In addition, according to Erzsébet (who’d received a message from Roderich), Polania’s nobles were having a last-minute meeting.

“I shouldn’t have let him go,” Matthew said dully.

“It’s not your fault,” Iryna said.“You couldn’t have stopped him. Besides, he’s fine.”

If anything, Matthew just looked more miserable.

“He never listens,” he said.“Everyone told him to be careful, and _what does he do? He manages to make the dam burst._ Can’t he ever think about his actions, even once?”

Iryna tried not to wince; she’d be lying if she said she never had the same thought.

“I know you’re worried,” she said.“But we have to trust him to stay out of trouble.I’m sure even he would lay low after what happened today.And going running off won’t help anything, least of all Alfred.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Matthew said.

“Of course Irunya is right, Jones.”

Natalya slid into a seat across from Matthew.

“Natasha,” Iryna warned.

Natalya ignored her.

“Even if you went to go find him, where would you start looking?” She asked.“The canyon’s flooded.In one of the caves? Which one? Face it, you have no idea where he is.You’re better off waiting for more news.”

“You expect me to wait here while Alfred could be—”

“If you go out, at worst, you’ll get yourself killed, or they’ll arrest you thinking you’re your brother.Then I’d have to kill you, since that would make Irunya cry.”

Matthew just looked at her.

“So yes, I expect you to wait here until we have more news,” Natalya said, giving him an icy glare for good measure.

She went up to the counter for a drink.

“Matvey, I’m sorry,” Iryna said—she felt tears welling up.“I’ll talk to her.She can’t just say things like—”

“No, it’s alright,” Matthew said.“You know how she is, eh? At least she didn’t pull out a knife.”

Iryna laughed, relieved that Matthew seemed to have relaxed somewhat.

Still, as she looked at Natalya, she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

She had to talk to her; about Matthew, about their family.Tonight.

Iryna wasn’t going go behind Natalya’s back, but she wasn’t going to continue keeping things from Matthew just to keep Natalya happy, either.

* * *

This was a nightmare.

Nobility meetings frequently had a tendency to get out of hand.That was the sort of thing that happened when you got several magnate families in one room.Salons were usually fairly calm, but this—

This wasn’t a salon; an emergency meeting of Polania’s magnates had been called at the last minute.

So, everyone had filed in the Łukasiewicz Estate at a little past two, including Roderich and his adoptive younger sister, Erika Vogel.As the only representatives of their respective noble houses (and now that Erika was older), they were required to attend these sorts of things.

Things started off innocuously enough—discussing world politics—before Błażej Łukasiewicz (the king’s father, no less), steered the topic in the direction of the theft of the Prince’s Crown.

And here it was: the true purpose of the meeting.

“I believe they should hang him,” he said, green eyes cold (the same color as his son’s, but the king’s were warmer, less hostile).

“Hear hear,” another magnate said. “Talk about lack of respect for our lost Prince. Do it in his name I say.”

Roderich suppressed the urge to groan; this was why he preferred salons.At a salon, nothing really got more heated than the occasional conversation about literature.

Erika spoke up.

“That seems severe,” she said. “I don’t think a mere theft warrants such a steep consequence.”

“Women,” one of them scoffed. “Always so sentimental.”

“She’s a child,” Łukasiewicz’s wife said. “She doesn’t understand.My husband is right.”

Erika was fifteen; perhaps she hadn’t quite reached adulthood yet, but she wasn’t a little girl anymore, either.

At any rate, the other nobles had always looked down on both Roderich and Erika for affiliating with “commoners”. 

“My sister is correct,” Roderich cut in, adjusting his glasses. “He stole a crown, and at that, he’s little more than the child you claim my sister is. That’s a serious crime, but it’s not a hanging crime.”

Łukasiewicz sneered at him.

“You traitor! You have no care for our lost Prince!”

“Of course I care about the Prince,” Roderich returned. “But the boy stole a _crown_ , he didn’t abduct the prince.”

“How would _you_ know?”

“Because they’d be the same age, you fool,” Roderich scoffed.

Łukasiewicz clammed up .

Unfortunately, another magnate took up where he left off.

“We should make an example out of him! Show thieves and kidnappers everywhere that if they take things belonging to our Prince, they’ll pay the prince!”

This was met with much agreement; Łukasiewicz pulled out a pre-written petition and passed it around.

Roderich and Erika exchanged a horrified look.

* * *

“I want to tell Matvey about our family,” Iryna said later that night.

“That’s private, Irunya.It’s between you and me—” Natalya began.

“Matvey is family,” Iryna said. 

Natalya glanced at her.

“Did he ask you to marry him?” She said.

“What—no,” Iryna said.“I mean—I’d like to some day,” she admitted, feeling herself blush.“But he didn’t ask me.”

“Then he isn’t family,” Natalya said.

“ _Yes_ , he is,” Iryna said.She softened her voice.“I know you’re scared—” 

“Scared?” Natalya scoffed.“I am not _scared_.”

“—but you can’t go through life only clinging to me.I found someone I care about.You should, too, even if it’s just a friend.”

Iryna turned to leave.

“I’m sorry, Natasha, but I’m not asking your permission,” she said.“I was just letting you know.”

* * *

“Tolys? You wanted to leave. You told me that,” Alfred said after night had set in. “Were you really never allowed to leave until now?”

“No,” Tolys said. “Father’s really protective.”

“Yeah, I get that—but that’s imprisonment,” Alfred said bluntly. 

Something uncomfortable knotted in Tolys’s stomach.

“No, no, it’s not like that!” Tolys said. “It’s—he’s been through a lot.He.He lost his family during the last war with Fennescandia. His parents, his brothers—all killed during a raid on Čebatuliai—his village.He was sent to an orphanage, but it was cold and cruel, and he left as soon as he was old enough. I’m all he has.”

“Wait—the last war with Fennoscandia?” he said. “That was like—sixty years ago…”

“My hair reverses aging, remember?”

“Oh, right…” Alfred looked at his, the campfire reflecting in his bright blue eyes. “You told me you wanted to leave, right? Everyone wants to be free.If he loves you, he’ll get that. It wouldn’t be good-bye forever—kids leave the nest eventually.He’d still get to see you.”

“What about you and Erzsébet?” Tolys asked.

Something flashed across Alfred’s face.

“Matt and I don’t have anywhere else to go,” he said. “Neither do Lovi and Feli, really—well, sometimes Lovino crashes with Antonio, but still.We’d be free to go if we wanted to. It’s not the same thing.”

Tolys let that sink in.

“You said Jones isn’t your real last name,” he said. “What did you mean by that?”

“When we were babies, Mattie and I were left at an orphanage,” Alfred said staring at the fire. “Our mother brought us.She was sick and dying from consumption.By that point she only lived long enough to tell them her first name and that our names were Alfred and Matthew. They could tell she was Anglian because of her accent, so they just gave us the last name Jones.”

Tolys swallowed.

“What was her name?” he asked.

“Alice,” Alfred said. “Her name was Alice.” He swallowed and continued.“The orphanage was nice enough, but overcrowded and underfunded. And once we got old enough, Mattie and I realized we would probably get adopted separately, if we got adopted at all. So when we were thirteen, we ran away.

“That’s when we started stealing. We were on the street for three years, until Erzsébet found us and took us in. So we then we had a roof over our heads and food on the table, but no schooling and no training. So our career options were a bit limited.”

Alfred fell silent.

Tolys reached forwards and grabbed his hand.

“You know,” he said. “After this is all over and done with, maybe you could visit me sometime. I have a lot of books.I could teach you.”

Alfred smiled at him.

“You’re sweet, Tolys,” he said. “But even if I got an education now, that wouldn’t change the fact that I’m wanted by the kingdom.”

Oh. Right.

“Um—if you don’t mind me asking, what’s the F in your name stand for?” Tolys asked after a brief pause.

Alfred laughed.

“Freedom. Some guy I was fooling around with during my street days—Mikkel Densen—suggested it as a joke, and I added it,” he said.

“Fooling around with?” Tolys asked.

“Oh—I mean, we were sort of.Together,” Alfred said.“I like both boys and girls.”

“Oh. Okay,” Tolys said. The fact that Alfred liked boys as well as girls came as a relief, though for the life of him, Tolys couldn’t figure out why. “I think Freedom suits you.”

Alfred brightened.

“Thanks!” Alfred chirped. “Oh—I didn’t have time to mention it because we nearly died but you were super heroic fighting those guards.”

Tolys felt himself blushing slightly.

“You think so?” Tolys said. “Father always said I’d never be able to handle myself out on my own.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Alfred said, grabbing his hands and sending him a smile that made his heart twang. Oh. _Oh._ An idea—seemingly impossible, and yet the obvious explanation took root in Tolys’s mind. “You totally saved us! We’d literally be _dead_ if it weren’t for you! You were amazing, Tolys!”

Tolys smiled.

“Thank you, Alfred,” he said.

* * *

Lovino was not having a good weekend.

It technically wasn’t the _worst_ couple days he’d ever had--that was still when Grandpa Maximus had died back in Altia. No warnings, no good-byes, he’d just fucking _died._ _That_ had kicked off four years of homelessness until he and Feliciano had managed to get themselves to Polania and Erzsébet found them and offered them a place to stay. But limited schooling plus no training equaled no employment, so they were still stuck as thieves.

So, this weekend wasn’t quite _that_ bad, but it was still pretty fucking bad. First, he and Feliciano had been intimidated into working with this Ivan Braginsky asshole, who’d implied he’d do—something to Alfred if they didn’t comply. He’d sent them to the dam, knowing the Royal Guard were hot on his trail.Then, at the dam, Alfred, being his usual arrogant and oblivious self, hadn’t listened to a word either of them were trying to say and the potato bastard had shown up and ruined everything. Then they narrowly escaped being swept away by raging waters.

And now? Ivan—who was creepy as fuck—was giving more orders.

“We will wait here in the bushes, _da_? And soon you will get the crown back and I will get Tolys back—everyone wins!” Ivan said, smiling widely; the smile sent shivers down Lovino’s spine, and he and Feliciano clung together for comfort.

Just a little longer, Lovino told himself. Alfred would be fine.Feliciano would be fine. He’d be fine.

So why did he feel like he was making a deal with the Devil?

* * *

Back at the Snuggly Duckling, Matthew and Iryna were sitting at a table in relative silence. The only other people still downstairs were Michelle, who was engrossed in a letter from her mother, Marianne, in the Sey Islands, and Erzsébet, who was cleaning up the tavern (currently adjusting a piece of artwork drawn by Roderich’s sister Erika Vogel, who was good with a pen). Natalya was still upstairs.

“Matvey?” Iryna said.

“Yes, Irunya?” Matthew asked.

Iryna hesitated, then asked, “Do you ever—think about your mother?”

“All the time,” Matthew said. He’d told her everything he knew about his mother—which admittedly wasn’t much.

Iryna nodded, her blue eyes looking nervous.

“And—what about your father?” she asked.

“Sometimes,” Matthew said. His eyebrows furrowed.“Irunya, where’s this coming from?”

Iryna bit her lip.

“You remember how my parents died five years ago?” she said. As she said it, she teared up.

Matthew reached out and took her hand.

“You don’t have to go on,” he said gently. Five years ago, there had been a consumption epidemic that had swept across the Kingdom with catastrophic losses. The papers had dubbed it “The White Plague”, which was stupid in Matthew’s opinion.It wasn’t some romantic counterpart to the Black Plague, it was consumption. During the epidemic, several people had been orphaned, including Iryna and Natalya, Basch Zwingli, and Erika Vogel.

“No,” Iryna said. “I want to.I _need_ to.”

He saw the determination in her face and nodded in understanding.

“Natasha doesn’t want me to tell you this,” Iryna said. “It’s hard for her to let others in.And she was in the room when—when Papa died, and they were always very close. It’s why she doesn’t like to get close to people now.But you are family, even if she hasn’t gotten used to the idea yet.”

Matthew had gotten the impression Natalya didn’t like the idea of him and Iryna dating, but then again, Natalya didn’t seem to like anyone who wasn’t Iryna. She’d seemed to have  (however reluctantly) accepted Matthew—and by extension, Alfred.

Though he couldn’t help but feel flattered that Iryna considered him family.

Iryna went on.

“One day, shortly before the epidemic started, my father told me something,” she said. “He told me he was adopted.”

“Adopted? So, your father’s last name—”

“Wasn’t always Arlovsky,” Iryna said. “He was adopted as a baby by a Kievian man named Yuri Arlovsky. He found him hidden away and wrapped in a blanket during a raid during the last war with Fennescandia—he had us late in life, you know, he was forty when I was born. The blanket had his first name stitched into it.”

Matthew searched desperately for something to say.

“What—how—what happened?” he said. “How did he survive?” 

“I don’t know,” Iryna said. “Papa was only a baby, and there was no one else around. His real parents were never found.”

“I have some things that might interest you.”

Matthew jumped and looked up to see Natalya looking at them.

“Hello, Natasha, ” Iryna said, looking slightly surprised

“I was thinking about what you said,” Natalya said.“If he’s really this important to you, I’ll go along with it.”

Iryna’s face burst into a smile.

“Oh, thank you, Natasha!” She cried.

“That doesn’t mean I think he’s my family or anything,” Natalya said.“I just won’t stop _you_ from thinking that.”

She turned.

“Come with me,” she said. “You too, J—Matthew.”

Matthew blinked; it was the first time she’d used his first name. It wasn’t exactly a sign they were now best friends, but it _did_ seem to be a small step in the right direction.

He followed Iryna and Natalya upstairs.

In Natalya’s room, Matthew and Iryna watched as Natalya strode across the room and pulled out a small notebook.

“What’s this?” Iryna asked.

“I’ve been looking into Papa and Grandfather’s old village,” Natalya answered. “To look for any hints about Papa’s family.I’ve written down any Kievian names I’ve come across, but without more information, it’s impossible to tell which family Papa belonged to.”

Natalya handed the book to Iryna, who opened the book; Matthew looked over her shoulder.

There was a list of surnames written; Karkarov, Smirnov, Chaykovsky, Braginsky, Petrov...

The list went on for half a page.

“There must be a hint somewhere,” Iryna said.

“A lot of these names were found on casualty lists for the raid,” Natalya said. “It could be any of them.”

“What about church records?” Matthew suggested.

“The church burned to the ground a few years ago,” Natalya answered.

“So, there’s nothing more we can do?” Iryna asked.

“There’s got to be anther way,” Matthew said.“There’s got to be another hint somewhere.What was the village’s name, anyways?”

“Čebatuliai,” Natalya said.

* * *

“Well,” Alfred said as the fire began to die down. “I’m going to get more firewood.”

Tolys watched him go.

“Ah, finally!” an familiar, overly cheerful voice from behind him said. Tolys nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around to see a tall man with ashy blond hair step out of the bushes. “I thought he’d never leave!”

“Father?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A magnate was a noble class in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that held considerable influence, including political.
> 
> Also the stuff about tuberculosis--the White Plague, etc. was an actual thing. Dying from tuberculosis was weirdly romanticized at one time. The nineteenth century was wild.
> 
> Alice is nyo!England.
> 
> Marianne is nyo!France.
> 
> Maximus is Rome.
> 
> Erika is Liechtenstein.
> 
> Mikkel is Denmark.
> 
> Altia is loosely based on Italy.
> 
> Anglia is loosely based on Great Britain, but England in particular.
> 
> The Sey Islands are loosely based on Seychelles.


	7. Kingdom Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan attempts to convince Tolys to come with him and gives him something.
> 
> Feliks's father comes to him with an ultimatum.
> 
> Alfred and Tolys arrive at the capital in time for the festival and spend the day together.

“Hello, Tolys,” Ivan said, his voice still cheerful, the smile on his face, but his deep violet eyes holding a dangerous glint. Tolys noticed his face was lined, and his hair was starting to grey.

“How’d you find me?” Tolys asked.

“Oh, it was very easy, Tolys!” Ivan said. “I simply followed the scent of betrayal!”

Tolys tried not to flinch.

“We’re going home, Tolys,” Ivan said in his best ‘listen to me because I am your father’ voice. “ _Now_.”

“Wait!” Tolys said. “I’ve done all sorts of things since I left—I’ve even met someone—”

“You mean the wanted thief?” Ivan asked. “Didn’t I warn you about thugs?”

“He’s not a thug!” Tolys said. Eduard hopped on his shoulder and glared at Ivan. “Just give him a chance, you’ll like him, really you will!”

“Tolys. That’s enough of this foolishness, don’t you think?” Ivan said.

“Father, listen! I—I think he likes me,” Tolys said. As he said it out loud, he smiled shyly to himself, his heart fluttering.

_Alfred…_

He’d never known he liked boys (as he’d never left his tower), but he liked Alfred, so he supposed he must.

“ _Likes_ you?” Ivan said, cocking his head. “Tolys, that is crazy talk.”

Tolys’s smile faded; he swallowed a lump in his throat as he felt another stomach ache coming on.

“But—” Tolys began.

“This is why you should have listened to me! Oh, Tolys, you are so adorable, but think about it! Why would he _like_ you?” Ivan said. “What do you have that would attract him? Do not be so _stupid_ , Tolys, just come with me. I know what’s best for—”

In the back of his mind, Tolys recalled what Alfred had told him at the campfire: That if Ivan loved him, he’d let him leave the tower, that he could handle himself, that _he’d_ been the one who saved them—

Tolys suddenly found a new, steely resolve.

“ _No,”_ he said.

Ivan jerked back in surprise.

“No?” he said, tilting his head. “Oh, so you spend two days outside and you’re suddenly all grown up?”

“I’m turning eighteen tomorrow,” Tolys said.

“Fine. If you’re so sure, why don’t you give him this?”

Ivan threw something at him; Tolys caught it, and realized it was Alfred’s satchel.

“How’d you—?”

“This is why he’s here, Tolys,” Ivan said. “Don’t be a fool, _da_? Give him this—”

“I will.”

“—and _see_ if he doesn’t leave you in an instant! You’ll be all alone!” Ivan’s eyes clouded with something dark. “You don’t want to be alone, do you Tolys? I won’t say I told you so!”

“He wouldn’t,” Tolys said. “Alfred wouldn’t do that.”

“Then go on,” Ivan said. “When he leaves you and you come crying back to me just remember: I know what’s best for you.”

Ivan retreated back into the bushes.

A few moments later, Alfred came back to camp, arms full of firewood; Tolys hid the satchel behind his back.

Alfred put more logs on the fire and turned to Tolys.

“Am I gonna get super strength in my hand?” he said, exuberant as ever. “Because that’d be so cool!”

Tolys didn’t answer.

“Uh, Tolys?” Alfred asked. “You okay?”

“Yes,” Tolys lied. “I’m fine.”

Alfred nodded.

“Oh, let’s go stargazing!” He said, bouncing on his feet.“The stars are really cool, man! I know all about the constellations! It’s how Mattie and I used to get around before Erzsébet found us.Then maybe later we can tell each other ghost stories.”

“Ghost stories?” Tolys questioned.

“Yeah!” Alfred said, waving his arms. “It’ll be fun! Natalya knows some really good ones I can tell you.”

* * *

As it turned out, Alfred _did_ know a lot about constellations.

“See, that’s Canis Major—it’s got the really bright star!”

Tolys knew about the constellations already, having charted the stars, but let Alfred talk.It was a good distraction from what Ivan had just told him (he’d hid the satchel in a nearby log). 

Though in hindsight, maybe telling ghost stories wasn’t the best idea.

Alfred wound up too scared to go sleep on his own, so he wound up clinging to Tolys instead.

Though, Tolys thought, it did feel nice.

* * *

Feliks groaned as his father, Błażej, stalked into the throne room. He’d requested an audience earlier, and he’d had no choice but to accept, as his advisor stated it was “urgent”.

“Like, what is it?” he said.

“We—that is, the noble houses—are calling for action against the rogue that stole Tolys’s Crown,” Błażej said.

“Well, I, like, wasn’t planning on letting him get away with it,” Feliks said. “He stole my son’s crown.”

“We have a request,” Błażej said, handing him a letter. “You’ll find nearly all our signatures on it.”

Feliks unfolded it and read the petition, insides growing cold.

“Have you, like, lost your mind?!”

“What?” Błażej said.

“You want us to hang him!”

“Let the punishment fit the crime,” Błażej said.

“He stole a _crown_ —”

“—and this would send a good message to anyone looking to do the same,” Błażej said. “Let people know we won’t tolerate ruffians messing with things that are rightfully our Crown Prince’s.”

Feliks stared. His father didn’t care about Tolys; he knew this. This was nothing more than a power grab, to try to use Tolys to get back into his good graces.

“I don’t—” Feliks began.

“Wasn’t it _you_ who wanted all criminals in the kingdom punished after Tolys was taken?” Błażej asked.

Feliks swallowed.

“That’s, like—totally different,” Feliks said.

“How so?” Błażej asked.

“We send them to _jail_ , we don’t execute them—” 

“You send them to jail indefinitely,” Błażej pointed out. 

“Because we totally aren’t going to tolerate crime! If we’d been this hard on crime from the start, then—”

“And this is to make sure this never happens again,” Błażej interrupted.“Look at what they took—it’s all we have left of Tolys.Is it so wrong to want to avenge my grandson? Stop being so weak and _act_ , Feliks.”

“I’m the King,” Feliks snapped.“ _You_ can’t tell me what to do.”

“King _Consort_ , Feliks, and you would do well to remember that,” Błażej said coldly. And Błażej had the gall to wonder why Feliks hardly spoke to him or his mother. 

“Whatever. Like, either way, I’m still calling the shots,” Feliks said, and it was true. Ever since his marriage to Daina, ruling duties had been transferred to him, even though he didn’t have a drop of royal blood in him. He did consult with her, but the decision was ultimately his.

“That doesn’t change the fact that almost all the nobles’ signatures are on this,” Błażej said. “If you refuse, the consequences could be—dire.”

He turned and left, leaving Feliks with the petition.

* * *

Daina read the petition, gripping the edges of the paper so hard her knuckles went white.

“How could they? How _could_ they?” she whispered.

Feliks scoffed, glaring.

“Daina, you know what my parents are like,” he said.

Yes. She did. There was a reason why Feliks had spent so much time at the castle with her as a child. They were always power-hungry, always looking down on the lower-classes.And as for Feliks—they’d always claimed he didn’t act enough like a noble.

They’d been ecstatic when Feliks had married her, but they’d been less so when Feliks had minimized contact as much as possible.

“Still,” Daina said. “How could they do this on his _birthday_?”

She looked at the petition again; only two noble houses hadn’t signed it: House Edelstein and House Vogel. And since House Edelstein and House Vogel consisted of one person each (one of whom was a fifteen-year-old girl), that didn’t mean a whole lot.

With this much pressure from the noble houses, there was little they could do, regardless of how much they disagreed with it.

They were doing it in Tolys’s _name_ — Błażej Łukasiewicz was technically Tolys’s grandfather.If they went against it, they’d be seen as _ungrateful_. 

And Feliks’s father knew this.This was just another way to control Feliks—even if they refused, he could easily stir up the masses into rising up against them.

Either way, Błażej Łukasiewicz won.

Daina buried her face in Feliks’s shoulder as her eyes blurred with tears.

* * *

When Alfred awoke the next morning, Ludwig’s demon horse was glaring down at him.

“Uh—hey,” Alfred said. “Nice horsey…”

The horse lunged for him; Alfred dove for the bushes. Tolys jerked awake and scrambled to his feet. 

The horse changed course and went for Alfred again, who let out a (very manly) shriek and hid behind Tolys.

“Is that the horse from the dam?” Tolys asked.

“Yeah,” Alfred said, not letting go of Tolys. “It’s evil.That horse is totally out to get me!”

The horse whinnied and stomped his hooves, glaring at him.

“Uh—excuse me?” Tolys said, hands stretched out. “Down, boy, calm down. _Down_.”

On Tolys’s shoulder, Eduard gestured for the horse to calm down as well.

The horse stopped trying to murder Alfred (for now, at least), but remained glaring at him.

“I kind of need you to not arrest him right now,” Tolys said. The horse started getting geared up for another round of chasing, and Tolys hastily went on. “I know it’s hard, with so many villains to chase—”

“Hey!” cried a very affronted Alfred.

“But it's really important that you don’t arrest him today,” Tolys said.

The horse was clearly not convinced.

“Alright, uh—” Tolys said, looking at the horse’s harness. “Berlitz.It’s my birthday today, and Alfred’s taking me to see the floating lanterns. So could you hold a truce, just for today? For me?”

“Nice try, Tolys, but—”

The rest of the sentence died on Alfred’s lips as Berlitz relaxed his stance (though still glared at Alfred).

Tolys petted Berlitz’s mane.

“He’s sweet!” Tolys said.

“He is not _sweet_!” Alfred said. “He’s _evil_! He’s out for my blood!”

“You’re not evil, are you? You’re a good boy,” Tolys cooed.

Alfred groaned.

* * *

They—which now included Berlitz, unfortunately—arrived at the capital, Vilnišuva, late that morning.

Tolys stared at the city, amazed, as he crossed the bridge.

“This is it,” he breathed. 

The city was prepared for the festival, which was well-underway. Citizens were outside and milling about, and pennant string was strewn all over the city (the pennants depicted a double barred cross—the symbol of the kingdom).

Alfred pulled a wanted poster of himself off the side of the bridge, ignoring Berlitz glowering at him as he did so, and pitched it over the side and into the water.

Berlitz let out a warning neigh; Alfred made a sarcastic imitation right back, but they quieted when Eduard gave them a Look.

In the city, they encountered a new problem: Tolys’s hair as a tripping hazard. Back outside the city, it hadn’t been a huge deal because of the wide open spaces and sparse people, but here--

Alfred scrambled to pick up Tolys’s hair, though wasn’t quite quick enough as geese nearly got caught in it, and he wound up bumping into several people.

The two of them had Tolys’s hair off the ground rather quickly, and Alfred looked around for a solution.

“I don’t suppose you have anything to tie it back with?” he asked.

“No,” Tolys said.

As a group of people dispersed, Alfred spotted a trio of girls near a fountain, braiding hair.

“Hey!” he called. They looked over.“Look!” 

He held up Tolys’s mass of hair; they cheered. Tolys sat while they got to work braiding his hair.

When they were done, Tolys examined their work.

“Thank you,” he said.

Alfred suddenly found himself speechless, his gaze fixed on Tolys, butterflies in his stomach.

That...was a really good look.

Berlitz slid in next to him, giving him a smug look.

“Not a word,” Alfred said, though without any real irritation.

“Alfred!” Tolys said. “Let’s go!”

They went to the different vendors, Alfred buying žagareliai and spurgos. When he turned around, Tolys was a few feet away, drawing the kingdom’s symbol onto the ground with chalk.

Alfred hung back and watched.

* * *

After Tolys was done drawing, he heard a small child’s voice.

“They’re for the lost Prince!”

He turned and saw a little girl placing some flowers underneath a large mosaic. He drew closer, examining the mosaic.

It depicted a family of three (the Royal Family?)—a man, a woman, and a baby boy. The man had shoulder-length blond hair and almond-shaped green eyes.The woman had long brown hair tied back in a braid and bright green eyes. The baby boy had flowing blond hair and the same bright green eyes as the woman.

Tolys couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something familiar about it…

“Hey, Tolys!”

Tolys turned to see Alfred holding two cups of ledai. 

“I got you this!” he said, holding one out.

“Oh—thank you,” Tolys said, taking it. He turned back to the mosaic.

“That’s the Royal Family,” Alfred said. “King Feliks, Queen Daina, and the Lost Prince.”

“The Lost Prince,” Tolys repeated quietly. “Why do they call him that?”

“Shortly after the Prince was born, someone stole off into the night with him,” Alfred responded. “Only the Prince’s crown was left.He hasn’t been seen since.”

“That’s—awful,” Tolys said. “And this festival’s for him?”

“Yeah,” Alfred answered. “It’s to try and reach him, wherever he is.”

“They must care a lot about him,” Tolys observed. “And the crown…”

“What about it?” Alfred said quickly.

“Well you said it’s all they have left of him, right? So it must be really important to them.”

Alfred suddenly averted his gaze.

“Yeah,” he said. “I guess you’re right.”

* * *

They went around the city some more, getting more food—or rather Alfred did.

What could he say, he was hungry.

He tried not to dwell on what Tolys said, trying to focus on hanging out with him, but a nagging feeling of guilt wouldn’t leave him alone.

Mattie and Erzsébet and even Roderich had said he acted without thinking about the effect his actions would have; maybe they were right.

No.He couldn’t think about that now, not when he had to make sure Tolys was having fun.

Besides, Tolys would be leaving soon, and he wanted to make sure this day they had together was amazing.

He definitely didn’t want their relationship to just _stop_.

His relationship with Mikkel hadn’t been all that serious—Mikkel was the son of a man who came to Polania for business, and their brief fling was just two kids experimenting.But Alfred had still liked Mikkel, and when Mikkel had had to go back to Denway, it had hurt.He hadn’t even been given an address—couldn’t they at least have stayed friends?

He’d had a friend at the orphanage—Kiku—but he couldn’t risk losing Matthew, so he and Matthew had ended up having to leave.

Still, he missed Kiku sometimes.

His relationship with Michelle—more serious—actually ended better, and ended up hurting less in the long run.

_“I thought I knew what I wanted.But I’m still trying to figure some things out.I do know that I still want you in my life, though, Alfred.”_

Alfred had counted himself lucky he hadn’t lost her completely.They were better as friends, anyways.

He didn’t want to lose Tolys as a friend, either.He hated losing friends.

Tolys pulled him into the library as he was finishing a piece of krówki. Alfred shoved the rest in his mouth before the librarian caught him.

While Alfred could read at a basic level, he wasn’t great at it. So he was just planning on waiting until Tolys was done doing—whatever it was he wanted.

He was surprised when Tolys pulled him to a table.

“What’re we doing?” Alfred asked.

Tolys just smiled at him, making his heart skip a beat.

“I found a book on Robin Hood,” Tolys said.“I thought you might like to look at it.”

“Really?” Alfred asked, perking up.Robin Hood had _always_ interested him—a thief who was also a hero (Robin Hood was so cool!), and on top of that, he was from Anglia.

The same country his mother was from.Even if he’d never gotten the chance to meet her, at least there was this connection.

Tolys showed him the book; they wound up reading it together, Tolys gently correcting Alfred’s pronunciation as he went.

* * *

When they left the library, the sun was setting; they made their way back to the town square, where everyone was preparing for a dance.

“Tolys, wanna dance?” Alfred asked, feeling something flutter in his stomach.

Tolys simply smiled and said, “Alright.”

And feeling relieved, Alfred grabbed his hand (and tried not to feel too giddy about it) and they joined the ring dance.

The dance started, the crowd chanting the lyrics—eventually, they broke into pairs, Alfred with Tolys.

They linked arms and danced in a circular counter-clockwise direction, then shifted to clockwise.A group of smaller circles were formed, and the process was repeated.

When they finished, they were staring into each others’ eyes, breathing hard.Alfred suddenly noticed was a bright shade of green Tolys’s eyes were.Did that make him a bad friend? He knew what color all his friends eyes were—Michelle’s eyes were brown.

“Well,” Alfred breathed. “That was fun!”

“Yeah,” Tolys agreed, face slightly flushed. “It was. ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spurgos are Lithuanian donuts.
> 
> Ledai is Lithuanian ice cream.
> 
> Krówki is Polish fudge.
> 
> Denway is loosely based off of Denmark-Norway.
> 
> The double-barred cross (known as the Cross of Jagiellons) is a national symbol of Lithuania.
> 
> The dance in this chapter is loosely based on ratelis, a traditional Lithuanian circle dance. After watching many, many, many Youtube videos, I gave it my best shot, as almost none of the dances were the same. The core aspects were the singing without instrumentation, and the circle dance. Breaking into pairs was also in the videos I watched.


	8. I See the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivan plan to Do Something about Alfred.
> 
> Alfred and Tolys see the floating lights.
> 
> Ivan puts his plan into action.

Ivan had to do something about the Jones thief.

He was in danger of losing his precious Sunflower; if he didn’t do something, Tolys would run off with him, and Ivan would once again, be all alone.

It would be the raid all over again, it would be the orphanage all over again (for how bad the matrons were, the others children had still avoided him at all costs), it would be his young adulthood all over again.

He was always _alone_.

And despite what Ivan had told Tolys, he had _seen_ the way Alfred Jones had looked at Tolys, the way he’d held his hands (and oh, that had made Ivan want to bash his head in with his pipe).

Alfred liked Tolys back.

So, Ivan would simply have to make sure Alfred was out of the picture for good, one way or another.

Ivan glanced back at his new friends, who were whispering to each other in rapid Altian.

“Hello,” he said.They stopped and looked and him.“I need you both to do something for me.”

“Si,” Feliciano said.“Of course.”

Lovino cast his brother a look, but didn’t say anything.

“I need you write Alfred Jones a message,” Ivan continued.“Asking him to meet you tonight at the lake’s edge, near the bushes, so he can give you the crown.”

“But he doesn’t have the crown,” Lovino said.

“He will,” Ivan said.

“But—” Lovino said.

“Ah,” Ivan said.“Just do what I say, and everyone wins, remember?”

Lovino took a step back.

“Yes, of course, Lord Braginsky,” he said, pulling out a pen and some paper.

Ivan carefully instructed Lovino on what to write; when he was done, he practically threw the letter at Ivan. 

True, Ivan had promised them their friend would remain unharmed, but sometimes, promises had to be broken.

* * *

Tolys stared as a dog came running up to Alfred.

“What’s that around its neck?” Tolys asked.

Alfred bent down and pulled it away with ease; it was a letter.

“It’s from Lovino and Feliciano,” he said, reading it.

“So they’re okay?” Tolys asked.

“Yeah,” Alfred said, pocketing the letter.“They’re fine.Come on.”

“Alfred? Where are we going?” Tolys asked.

Night had set, and the time for the lanterns was quickly approaching. He and Alfred weaved through the city, though Tolys had no idea where, exactly, they were headed to.He pocketed a square pennantwith the kingdom’s symbol on it—a souvenir.

“This is what you’ve always dreamed about, right?” Alfred said. “So the Hero is going to make sure you have the best seat possible!”

Tolys tried not to smile; Alfred stopped at a gondola and gestured for him to get in first.

Tolys quietly removed Alfred’s satchel from Berlitz’s saddle bag—which was where he’d slipped it at the start of the day—and got in, sliding the satchel under the seat.Eduard perched himself on the edge of the boat.

He did so, and after Berlitz gave the boat a nudge, Alfred rowed across the water. Tolys stole a look at him.

“I’m nervous,” he admitted.

“Why?” Alfred asked.

“It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” Tolys admitted, “But what if I’m disappointed? What if this isn’t real? What if I’m dreaming? What if—”

“Hey,” Alfred said, momentarily stopping rowing to take his hand. “This is real.I promise.A hero never breaks his promises.”

“This has been my dream my whole life,” Tolys said. “What do I do after this?”

“Find a new dream,” Alfred said.

Tolys was more than a little disappointed when Alfred let go of hand to begin rowing again, but they stopped in the middle of the lake, when first lantern was being released.

At last, he could see the lights.

* * *

The sky was aglow with the floating lanterns.Alfred looked at the spectacle; it really _was_ amazing, and Tolys looked so happy…

As two lanterns floated towards them, Alfred reached out and grabbed them.

“I can’t believe how blind I’ve been,” Tolys said. “I’ve always seen them, but just from the outside looking in. But I think I see now—I know where I’m meant to be.I’m really glad you took me here, Alfred.”

“Y-yeah,” Alfred said, letting out a nervous laugh. “Me too.”

They sent the lanterns off again together.

Tolys took something out from under his seat; a moment later, Alfred recognized it as his satchel.

“Here,” he said, holding it out. “I should’ve given you this awhile ago, but—I didn’t—I was scared. But now I’m not.I trust you.”

Alfred took it, but did so with a pang of guilt; he didn’t really _want_ the crown any more.

Tolys had said that crown was probably really important to the King and Queen because it was all they had left of their son; he hadn’t thought about it like that. He was just so focused on Matthew, on _himself_ , he hadn’t thought about how his actions might affect other people. He’d never wanted to hurt anyone.

He should give it back. He’d simply been chasing a pipe dream, like everyone else said, anyways, trying to imitate a legend, trying to—

“I’ve just been trying to chase down a daydream,” Alfred said out loud. “I’ve never seen things the way they were.But now, I can see things better now. If I hadn’t gone of this adventure with you, I’d still be stuck like that, so you’re really the hero, Tolys! So, thank you!”

And it was true; thanks to Tolys, he could _really_ focus on being a hero now. He could be more careful about now hurting others, but still protect himself and Matthew. And Tolys. 

He gently reached forwards and took Tolys’s hands. 

“I know where I’m meant to be,” he said softly.

Without thinking about it, Alfred leaned forwards, until his forehead was touching Tolys’s. 

Everything was _warm_ , real, and _bright_ , now that he saw—

“Now that I see you,” Alfred whispered, blinked when he thought he heard Tolys do the same.

He blinked as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

He liked Tolys. He _liked_ Tolys.

Oh. _Oh._

Alfred, partly out of panic, parked the gondola abruptly as the lanterns finished.

“I’ll, uh—I’ll be right back,” Alfred said. “Don’t worry.”

He set off in the direction of where Feliciano and Lovino’s letter claimed they’d be; if he saw a dark shape out of the corner of his eyes, he brushed it off as his imagination.

* * *

“Where. The fuck. Is.Alfred.”

Lovino was sick of waiting, sick of Ivan Braginsky, sick of just about everything.

_Wait for Alfred by the bushes, he said...it’ll be fine, he said..._

“Maybe he’s still looking at the lights, ve,” Feliciano suggested.

“The lights already ended, idiota!” Lovino snapped. “So. Where. Is he?”

“Uh, Lovi?” Feliciano said, suddenly sounding terrified.

“What?” Lovino said.

“Is that—?” Feliciano said, pointing out on the lake.

Lovino looked, and his insides went cold. There was a lone boat going across the water.

“Fuck,” he swore.

* * *

Tolys turned as he heard footsteps behind him.

“Alfred!”

“Oh, he took the crown and left!” 

It wasn’t Alfred; it was Ivan.

“What?” Tolys cried. “No, no, he wouldn’t, Alfred would never do that…”

“See?” Ivan said, pointing. “That pig left you just like I said he would!”

Tolys’s heart fell into his stomach as he spotted a lone boat sailing across the lake. There had to be an explanation, it couldn’t be Alfred, Alfred wasn’t like that…

And yet the proof was right in front of him; Tolys felt a crushing, splintering pain in his chest—far worse than any stomach ache he’d ever had. He barely noticed as Eduard climbed onto his shoulder for comfort.

Eyes stinging with tears, he turned away from the sight as Ivan pulled him into a hug.

“There, there, Tolys!” Ivan said far too cheerfully. “Let us just go back to the tower, _da_? I am sure you have learned your lesson.”

Tolys, too heartbroken to speak, simply nodded.

* * *

When Alfred awoke, his head was splitting.

What had _happened_? He’d been looking for Feliciano and Lovino when—when—something had hit him over the head. As he regained his bearings, he realized he was tied to the mast of a boat, sailing away from where he’d left Tolys.

_Tolys._

“Tolys! Tolys! _Tolys_!” Alfred yelled, but it was no use. He was too far away, and no answer was given.

* * *

Lovino and Feliciano did their best to follow the boat’s trajectory. They would just board the ship at the first opportunity, find Alfred, apologize for trusting that asshole Braginsky, and _never speak of this clusterfuck again_ —

The boat docked; Lovino and Feliciano made a beeline for it, but—

“Halt in the name of the law!”

“Fuck!” Lovino snarled. “I swear, that potato bastard is going to burn in Hell!”

He pulled Feliciano into the cover of some nearby bushes.

“Maybe Alfred will get away?” Feliciano suggested. “He always has before.”

Lovino shushed him, but sent a silent prayer. There wasn’t much they could do right now without getting arrested themselves, and that wouldn’t help Alfred at all.

_Let him get away...let him get away…_

“Alfred Jones, you are under arrest for crimes against this kingdom!” Ludwig’s voice boomed, dashing Lovino’s hopes.

Lovino felt sick. He gripped the trunk of the tree so tightly his knuckles went white. Next to him, Feliciano let out a small sob.

They watched, hidden, as Alfred was led off the boat, bound.

“Fratello?” Feliciano said in a small voice. “Is this—is this our fault?”

“Yeah,” Lovino said. “I think it kind of is.”

Neither of them noticed the horse watching from the shadows.


	9. Truth Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lovino and Feliciano team up with a horse, and tell Erzsébet what happens.
> 
> Erzsébet contacts Roderich for help.
> 
> Back in the tower, Tolys has a sudden realization.

He’d been caught; and that didn’t bring Ludwig as much satisfaction as it should.

The punishment was hanging—which he knew was over the top, but because the nobles had been able to manipulate King Feliks’s own laws against thievery, this was the result.

If Alfred Jones was hung, Erzsébet would never speak to him again; _Roderich_ would never speak to him again. Even Erika, his own younger sister, might become distant—and while that would hit Basch much harder, he still loved her.

But what was he supposed to do? It wasn’t like he could just set him free; that would be a chaotic mess, and he was already missing a horse, anyways.

Just where _was_ Berlitz, anyways?

* * *

The Vargas brothers found themselves staring at the Captain of the Guard’s horse.

“Careful,” Lovino advised. “It’s probably a potato muncher, too.”

“Maybe he’s here to help us save Alfred!” Feliciano said.

Lovino rolled his eyes. Of all the stupid—!  
“And why would he do that, bastard?” Lovino said. “He’s part of the group that arrested him, remember?” 

The horse stamped its hooves and turned around.

“I think he wants us to follow him!” Feliciano said.

“That’s ridiculous!” Lovino said. “It’s a _horse_!”

But he really didn’t have much choice as the horse broke into a trot and his younger brother followed.

Lovino went after them.

* * *

When he caught up to them, Feliciano was sitting on the horse. 

“Come on, fratello!” Feliciano said. “Get on!”

“What about Alfred?”

“He’s helping!”

Lovino did _not_ have time for this. Well, if you couldn’t beat them, join them.

“Fine,” he said, climbing on. “But we’re on a time limit, alright, asshole?”

The horse broke into a gallop.

* * *

The horse took them to the Snuggly Duckling.

Well, it was time to face the music.

They burst into the tavern, horse and all.

Erzsébet whirled around, seizing her skillet.

“Oh, Feli, Lovi! You’re back!” she said. “Where have you—is that Berlitz?”

“Uh—Erzsébet—” Lovino began, shoulders slumping.

Erzsébet’s green eyes narrowed.

“Lovino Vargas, what did you do,” she demanded.

Lovino searched for the right words—if there were any for this situation—but Feliciano took care of it for him.

By bursting into tears.

“We’re so sorry, Erzsébet!” Feliciano wailed. “We didn’t mean to, but he was big and scary and we thought he’d hurt Alfred if we didn’t do what he said but now Alfred’s been arrested—”

“Whoah, whoah, whoah, slow down!” Erzsébet said. “It’s alright.Just slow down, Feli, alright?” she soothed, giving him a motherly pat on the back. “Now what happened?”

“Alfred’s been fucking arrested,” Lovino said.

Erzsébet blanched.

“What?” she squeaked. “How? They’ve been calling for his _hanging_ —”

“It’s all our fault!” Feliciano wailed. “We worked with this guy Ivan Braginsky and he was really big and scary and we thought he’d hurt Alfred if we didn’t agree to help him get his son back, so we agreed! And we’d get the Lost Prince’s Crown in return!”

“His—son?” Erzsébet questioned, looking bewildered.

“Tolys,” Lovino said dully. “That boy Alfred came in with the other day.”

“So we did it, and he got Alfred arrested anyways! We’re so sorry!” Feliciano cried.

Erzsébet took a deep, shuddering breath.

“So let me get this straight,” she said.“You two decided to trust someone you’d never even met before.”

“Yes,” Lovino said.

“And now Alfred’s going to be hung.”

“Yes,” Lovino answered again, feeling a crushing wave of guilt.Feliciano burst into tears again.

Sighing, she reached out and gave Feliciano another motherly bat on the back.

"It’s not—completely—your fault,” she said, though she failed to meet either of their gazes.“You shouldn’t have trusted him, but—you didn’t know what he was going to do.”

She had a glint in her eyes that Lovino knew meant Trouble, though not for them, thank God.

She took out a paper and pencil and began scribbling a note.

“So, what do we do?” Lovino asked.

“We,” Erzsébet said, not even looking up, “are going to break Alfred out before they hang him.”

* * *

Roderich jumped slightly as a bird landed outside his window; he recognized it immediately. It was Erzsébet’s.She’d trained it especially to deliver message to him.

He opened the window and took the note attached to the bird’s leg.

Roderich quickly read it; Erzsébet was planning a prison break for Alfred, and needed his help. He set the letter down, thinking.

On one hand, it was extremely risky, and if he was caught, he’d be thrown in prison at best. On the other hand, Alfred didn’t deserve to die (and yes, he loved Erzsébet, and _she_ loved Alfred like her own).

So, now he just needed a plan. Easier said than done; he needed to come up with a way to ensure the dungeons were sparsely guarded when Erzsébet broke him out.Erzsébet could handle a few guards, easily.The _entire Royal Guard_ was a whole different matter, even if she brought back-up.

“Roderich? Are you all right?”

Roderich jumped, startled out of his thoughts, and turned to see Erika at his side.

“Oh, hello, Erika,” Roderich said, trying to hide the letter from view. Hopefully she hadn’t already seen it.

“Maybe I can help,” Erika said.

Alright, so she had seen it.

“No,” Roderich said. “It’s too dangerous, and you’re too young.”

God, he sounded like Basch.

“I wasn’t too young to refuse to sign that petition,” Erika pointed out, her voice deceptively polite.

“That was different,” Roderich said stiffly.

“You said I wasn’t a child at the meeting,” Erika said. “Were you lying?”

Roderich sighed.

“What did you have in mind?” he asked.

Erika smiled.

“You know how I’m good with a pen?” she said.

* * *

The next morning, Tolys was not feeling any better.

He sat on his bed as Ivan undid his braid.

“There!” Ivan said, and Tolys’s hair unraveled. “It’s like it never even happened!”

Tolys didn’t answer.

Ivan came around in front of him and cupped his face forcefully, forcing him to look directly at Ivan.

“I did warn you, Tolys. It is you who didn’t listen,” Ivan said. “The world is filled with cruel and selfish people who will only hurt you. It’s better that you stay in here, so that you are safe and protected.You left, and look what happened.”

Tolys looked miserably at the floor.

“Ah, don’t be so sad, Tolys !” Ivan said. “From now on, you’ll listen to me, won’t you?” Ivan stroked Tolys’s hair. “I’ll even make you šaltibarščiai to cheer you up!”

Ivan went downstairs. 

Tolys took the pennant flag out of his pocket—the only souvenir he had from his adventure with Alfred. Eduard huddled up next to him as a comfort gesture.

He looked at the cloth and laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling, still miserable. He’d really thought Alfred cared about him…

Tolys suddenly squinted, noticing something for the first time.

On the ceiling was a double barred cross. The symbol of the kingdom.It was hard to make out, but it was there. 

Just to check, Tolys compared the cross on the ceiling to the cross on the cloth; they were the same. Heart hammering in his chest, Tolys got off his bed and looked around his room, at all the walls he’d painted on—there were double-barred crosses worked into his paintings _everywhere_.

And he’d never even known what the symbol of the kingdom _was_ before yesterday.

Tolys’s mouth was suddenly very dry.

The mosaic. The man—the _woman—_ she had green eyes, _just like his_. The baby boy had flowing, almost magical looking blond hair, almost like—

Tolys grabbed a handful of his own hair.

His was a lot longer obviously, but the resemblance was uncanny.

And Alfred had told him that someone had stolen off with the Lost Prince in the night…

Tolys felt—Tolys felt sick. He could hear his fa—except Ivan _wasn’t_ his father, was he, he never was—

He could hear Ivan downstairs, acting like nothing was wrong, like he’d _done_ nothing wrong, like he hadn’t stolen a baby from his parents—

Still feeling cold and sick and lightheaded, Tolys headed downstairs, hoping to God he was wrong.

“I’m the Lost Prince, aren’t I?” he said in a daze when he saw Ivan.

“Tolys, do speak up. I do enjoy hearing your cute voice, you know,” Ivan said.

Tolys felt a ripple of anger. Well, if he wanted that, he’d get it.

“I’m the Lost Prince, aren’t I?” he demanded.

Ivan stared.

Then he let out a laugh, but it sounded a bit high, a bit brittle…

“Oh, Tolys, how silly the things you come up with are!” Ivan said. “Of course you’re not! Wherever did you get a stupid idea like that?”

Tolys ignored him.

“All this time, you kept telling me the outside world was dangerous, that everyone was bad and wanted to use me for my power, and that I had to hide from them—but really, I should have been hiding from _you!”_

“Tolys, that is enough of the crazy talk, _da_?” Ivan said. “You don’t want to go somewhere you’ll regret.”

“Alfred,” Tolys whispered. “Where’s Alfred? Did you hurt him?”

“Oh, me?” Ivan said. “No, not at all, other than a slight bump on the head! I do think he’s due to be hung at noon today, though.”

Bile rose in Tolys’s throat as his blood went cold.

“How could you?” he choked, eyes burning with tears.

“He was going to take you away from me, Sunflower,” Ivan said, reaching out towards him. Tolys jerked back.“He was in the way.I did it to protect you, to protect _us._ Because I love you! _”_

“No, you didn’t!” Tolys said. “ _This isn’t love!_ ”

Ivan’s face darkened as he got up and took a threatening step towards Tolys.

“I didn’t want to do this, Tolys, but you aren’t giving me a choice,” Ivan said. “You know I don’t like fighting.”


	10. Prison Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ludwig, Gilbert, and Basch follow written orders from the king, which quickly become suspect.
> 
> Erzsébet and co stage a prison break.

Telling the others what had happened was not fun.

Matthew looked like he was about to throw up (and he probably was). Iryna started crying, though quickly pulled herself together for Matthew’s sake. 

Emma and Antonio both looked horrified;

“Well, what’re we waiting here for?” Michelle cried, leaping from her seat.

“How much time does he have?” Mei said.“If we act quickly, we might still be able to help.”

Even Natalya looked taken aback at the news.

“We’re breaking him out of prison,” Erzsébet continued, choosing to ignore Matthew throwing the Vargas brothers withering glares.

This was met with a round of cheers.

“Now, I know this is very risky, and no one will hold it against you if you choose not to come,” Erzsébet said.

“I’m going,” Matthew said immediately.

Erzsébet nodded. She hadn’t expected any differently.

“We’re going, too,” Lovino announced, gesturing to his brother.

“Well, isn’t that a relief?” Matthew said, his voice as polite as ever, but there was something frosty underneath it.

“Matthew,” Erzsébet said.Maybe she should say more—tell Matthew it wasn’t their fault—but if they hadn’t—

_No.It’s not their fault._

“I’m going, too,” Iryna said.

“Thank you, Irunya,” Matthew said.

“So am I,” Natalya said.

Erzsébet turned to her in surprise.

“You are?” she said.

“Irunya is my sister,” Natalya said. “Where she goes, I go.” She turned away as her cheeks tinged lightly pink. “And—I don’t want him to be hanged.”

“I’m helping, too!” Michelle shouted.

“Me too!” Mei said.

“So are Toni and I!” Emma said.

Erzsébet blinked.

Well, that was everyone.

“Alright,” she said. “Roderich and Erika came up with a plan, so if everything works out, the dungeons should be poorly guarded when we get there. We go in, get Alfred, and send him out on Berlitz.”

She looked around.

“Any questions?”

* * *

“We’ve got new orders,” Ludwig said, placing a note onto the table.“We’re to guard Queen Daina.There’s been word of an assassination plot.”

Basch frowned.

“The king came to you with this?” He asked.

“Well—no,” Ludwig admitted.“But it is his handwriting.”

Basch and Gilbert peered at the note, then looked at Ludwig.

“You’re absolutely certain, Lutz?” Gilbert asked.

“Yes,” Ludwig responded.“I checked for the usual signs—odd ink blots, shaky handwriting.It checks out.”

They’d have to run it under a microscope to be completely certain, but they that would require taking it to the Postmaster General and waiting for his results.They just didn’t have that kind of time.

“It’s hanging day,” Basch pointed out neutrally.“Can we all just really leave Jones’s cell unguarded? This is calling for most of the Guard to be pulled from the dungeon.”

Ludwig frowned; Basch had a point, but—

“We don’t really have a choice,” he said.“We can’t disobey a direct order.”

* * *

Feliks was in the throne room when most of the Royal Guard came in.

“Like, what’s the meaning of this?” he demanded.

“You called us here, Your Majesty,” Ludwig said, suddenly sounding hesitant.

“What?” Feliks asked, bewildered.

“The note you sent him,” Gilbert said.“It gave us orders to guard the queen.”

“Let me see it,” Feliks said, holding his hand out.Ludwig handed it over.

Feliks read it, his blood turning to ice.

“I didn’t write this,” he said.

The Guard broke out into whispers.

“Then should we take it to the Postmaster General?” Ludwig asked, recovering first.“Forgery is a serious crime—”

“Wait,” Feliks said, holding a hand up.The Guard fell silent.“Don’t go anywhere.Follow the directions for now.Stay with Daina.Like, maybe I didn’t write it, but it could still be a threat against the queen.”

* * *

Half an hour later, Feliks, Daina, Ludwig, Gilbert, Basch, and several other Royal Guard members were all huddled into a room.

“Your Highness, the hanging’s today,” a guard reminded him. “The nobles are pushing for this—if he escapes, they won’t like it.”

“He’s in a cell,” Feliks snapped. “He’s, like, totally not going anywhere. And if they think hanging a peasant thief is more important than the safety of their Queen, then they can, like, have a cell, too.”

That shut everyone up.

“Feliks,” Daina spoke up.She’d remained quite calm until that point.“Enough.There’s only one person responsible for this.”

“And do you know who, Your Majesty?” Basch asked.

“No,” Daina said.“But if the threat is genuine, I expect we’ll find out at noon.And if not, we’ll just send the letter to the Postmaster General.”

* * *

When they entered the castle dungeons, Erzsébet immediately swung her skillet, dazing the nearest guard.

“Go,” she whispered.

Matthew, Iryna, Natalya, and the Vargas brothers went one way; Emma, Antonio, Michelle, and Mei went the other, followed by Erzsébet.

* * *

It was quickly closing in on noon.

Which meant the hanging was quickly approaching.

True, they had the crown back, but at what cost? Their son was still missing.

Feliks looked at his wife; her eyes were dry, but her face was pale and worn.

He took a seat next to her and took her hand, trying to appear stronger than he felt. In a way, this was his fault.It was his strict laws on petty crimes that had allowed the nobles—his own _father_ —to call for the Jones boy’s hanging. If he hadn’t been so _selfish_ —

And even if Tolys came back, could they ever look him in the eye, knowing someone had been killed—hanged—in his name?

* * *

Gilbert whirled around as the door burst open at ten to noon.

“Intruders!” a guard—Ján  Kováč, a newer recruit—gasped, clutching the back of his head. “In the dungeons!”

“What?!” Ludwig demanded.

“We can’t just leave the queen,” Basch pointed out.

“You and Lutz stay here with Her Majesty,” Gilbert said. “You too, Ján.I got this.”

* * *

Gilbert did not have this.

“Watch it, woman!” he yelped as he barely dodged a blow from Erzsébet’s skillet.

“Tell us where Alfred is, and then we’ll be on our way!” the one with the dark brown pigtails—Michelle, wasn’t it?—said.

“Sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Gilbert grunted, parrying Erzsébet.

“Gilbert, come on, amigo,” Antonio said. “You know this is wrong…”

“I have a _job_ to do, Antonio!” Gilbert said. “And I’m not going to let you unawesome losers stop me, and Jones isn’t even in this wing, anyways!”

In the next moment, he was seeing stars as Erzsébet’s skillet hit its mark.

“Thanks!” the blonde and the raven-haired girls chirped.Or at least he thought they did.

Shit. Ludwig was going to kill him.

* * *

Alfred couldn’t believe his luck—or lack thereof.

Hanging. He was going to hang, and he just wanted to give the crown back, he’d never meant to hurt anyone…

He curled in on himself and tried not to cry.

He didn’t want to admit it, but—he was scared.

He didn’t want to die.

He thought of Tolys—Tolys, who probably thought he’d abandoned him.And Matthew— 

He was never going to see Tolys again, he was never going to see Matthew again—

“Hey, Al. Got yourself into another mess, eh?”

Alfred jumped and stared as not only Matthew, but Iryna, Natalya, and the Vargas brothers were outside his cell.

“Mattie?” Alfred gasped. “What’re you doing here?”

“Rescuing you, you hoser,” Matthew said. “And _some_ of us owe you an apology.”

“What—”

The rest of the sentence died on his lips as Natalya began picking the lock with a knife.

A few moments later, the cell door clicked, and Natalya pushed the door open.

“Berlitz—the horse—is just outside,” Iryna said. “We’ll take you to him, and you need to get as far away as possible.”

“Alfred, we’re really, really sorry,” Feliciano said.

“About _what_?”

“Come _on_ , bastard,” Lovino said. “There’s no time to explain.We need to go.”

They ran.

“JONES!”

“I’ll take care of this,” Natalya said. “You get Jones out of here.”

“Be careful, Natasha,” Iryna said.

“It’s not me you need to worry about,” Natalya said.

* * *

“Not another step, Beilscmidt,” Natalya said, a knife already out.

“Did the whole damn tavern show up to break Jones out?” Beilschmidt—the albino one, she noted—shouted.Natalya noticed his hand occasionally twitched upwards, and he seemed off balance.That would make this a lot easier.

“More or less,” Natalya answered.

Beilschmidt sighed. 

“Look, I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

Natalya rolled her eyes.

“Please. Don’t make me laugh,” she said. In one swift movement, she slammed Gilbert against the wall and held a knife to his throat.

“Choose your next words carefully, Beilschmidt,” she said.

* * *

Outside, Alfred climbed up onto Berlitz—who, he noted, didn’t even try to buck him off. 

He was sorry he ever called Berlitz a demon horse.

“Guys—thanks for this—” he said thickly.

“Go!” Iryna, Lovino, Feliciano, and Matthew all shouted.

“Right,” Alfred said, taking the reins.

Berlitz broke into a gallop.

“Berlitz? I need you to take me to Tolys’s tower.”

* * *

“Natalya!” 

Gilbert didn’t need to risk a glance know it was Erzsébet.

“Where’s Alfred?” She asked.

“If he’s smart, far away from here,” Natalya answered, not taking her gaze off him.

“Then let’s go!” Erzsébet said.“We need be out of here before the rest of the Guard gets back.”

Natalya hesitated for a moment longer, then pulled the blade away from his neck.

“Hey—” Gilbert said, reaching for his sword.“You can’t just—”

Erzsébet tossed her skillet to Natalya; a moment later, he was seeing stars once again.

When he regained his bearings, they were gone. 

“Gilbert!” A familiar voice said.“It’s ten past noon.We need to—what happened?”

“Hey, Lutz,” Gilbert said.“You won’t believe what just happened.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ján is Slovakia.


	11. Healing Tear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ludwig and Gilbert get the letter checked out.
> 
> Alfred reaches Tolys's tower, and Ivan acts.
> 
> Later, Gilbert makes an offer to Natalya, who realizes something about Ivan.

“You let him _escape_.”

“The entire tavern showed up, Lutz.It was totally unawesome!” Gilbert whined.

Ludwig sighed.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Gilbert said, ignoring the splitting headache he now had.

“Good,” Ludwig nodded.“Because we have to go see the Postmaster General about that letter.”

About twenty minutes later, they ran into the Postmaster General’s office.

“We need you to take a look at this,” Ludwig said.“We have reason to believe it may have been forged.”

The Postmaster General—a tired-looking man called Heracles Karavitis—took the letter.

Ludwig and Gilbert waited for what seemed an eternity; finally, Heracles brought the letter back.

“It’s a forgery,” he said.“Do you know who could have forged it?”

“It was most likely a distraction to pull off the break-out,” Ludwig said. “So, someone close to Jones.”

“Erzsébet?” Gilbert suggested.But no, that wasn’t right.

“She was leading the break-out,” Ludwig said.“That’d be too obvious.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Roderich might,” Gilbert said.His younger brother was a wimp, and the awesomeness of any room dropped ten degrees whenever Roderich entered it.But he’d do anything for Erzsébet. 

“Forgeries aren’t in Roderich's skillset,” Ludwig said.“But they _are_ in Erika’s.”

* * *

When Berlitz got to the tower, Alfred dismounted and sprinted to it.

“Tolys!” he shouted. “Let down your hair!”

The blond hair came tumbling down, and Alfred began to climb.

* * *

“Tolys!” a shout came. “Let down your hair!”

_Alfred_.

“Ah!” Ivan told a bound and gagged Tolys. “It seems we have a visitor! Let’s invite him up, shall we?”

Tolys gave a muffled sound of protest, but Ivan ignored him.Eduard was silent,—unconscious but not dead—tossed to the side as if he were a piece of trash and not Tolys’s best friend.

He could only watch, struggling, as Alfred climbed into the darkened tower.

“Tolys?” he asked.

Tolys tried to warn Alfred, to tell him to get out before it was too late, but it just came out muffled—

Alfred took a few steps forwards—

He suddenly gasped in pain, staggering forwards.

Alfred’s hand gripped a jagged piece of glass jutting out from his side as he collapsed to the ground; Tolys let out a muffled scream and his insides had turned to ice.

“Now look what you’ve made me do Tolys,” Ivan said. “If you’d just stayed with me instead of trying to abandon me like everyone else, none of this would have happened!”

With great effort, Tolys managed to move the gag.

“Let me heal him,” he said.

“So you can run off with him and leave me here alone? Just like everyone else? No,” Ivan said.

“I’m not going to stop trying to leave,” Tolys said. “I’m always going to try and get away.But if you let me heal him, I’ll stay with you. I promise.”

Ivan stayed silent for a moment, then nodded, releasing Tolys from his bonds.

Tolys ran to Alfred’s side.

“Alfred,” he whispered.

As he prepared to grab his hair, Tolys was suddenly aware of something swishing through the air, and suddenly, his hair was a lot shorter.

_No._

His previously 70-foot hair now stopped at his shoulders and was brown—the rest was on the floor in a heap, and it was brown, too—

“NO!” Ivan shouted. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”

He started towards them as he rapidly aged; Eduard, now apparently awake, darted forwards, and, using his tail, tripped Ivan, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

Ivan, previously in his twenties, was now seventy-two and breathing heavily, and didn’t seem to be getting up any time soon.

“Alfred, why—?” Tolys asked looking into Alfred’s eyes.

“So you could be free,” Alfred whispered, tracing Tolys’s face. “You could have chance…”

Alfred’s eyes slid shut and his hand dropped.

Tolys felt as if someone had ripped his heart out, leaving nothing but an empty hole.He let out a sob, and grabbed and the cut hair from the floor, pressing it to the wound.

He rapidly whispered the healing incantation.

Nothing.

He tried again.

And again.

And again.

“Come on, please,” Tolys cried.

Still nothing.

Tolys squeezed his eyes shut and let a tear fall.

“Hey, Tolys,” a voice said. “Brown hair really suits you, you know…”

Tolys opened his eyes wide to see Alfred smiling at him.

It worked; somehow, Alfred was alive. Or maybe there was some power left in the tear. Well, how didn’t matter.What mattered was that Alfred was _alive._

_“Alfred!”_ Tolys gasped, pulling him into an embrace, which Alfred returned.

Tolys pulled out of the embrace and pressed his lips against Alfred’s in a passionate kiss.

When they broke apart, Tolys glanced at Ivan, who’d managed to sit up and was staring morosely at the floor.

“We should probably get the Royal Guard over here,” he said.

“They want to hang me, Tolys,” Alfred said.

“Don’t worry, I’m the Lost Prince. I’ll sort this out,” Tolys said.

Alfred blinked.

“I’m sorry, you’re _who_?” he said.

* * *

Natalya stared as Gilbert Beilschmidt walked into the Snuggly Duckling.

“What are you doing here, Gilbert?” Erzsébet asked.

Gilbert ignored her and stopped in front of Natalya.

“I want you to come with me,” he said.

Natalya’s eyes narrowed.

“No.”

“Gilbert, you can’t just single out her,” Erzsébet said.

“That’s not what this is about,” Gilbert said.“I’m here about a job offer.”

“A—job offer,” Natalya repeated suspiciously.

“Yeah,” Gilbert said.“Just come with me, we’ll talk there.”

Natalya thought about it for a moment; if he was being serious, then this could be good for her and Iryna.If he wasn’t, then—well, she’d kicked his ass once.

“Fine,” she said shortly.“But you’d better not be wasting my time.”

Gilbert brightened.

“The awesome me would never dream of such a thing, Natalya,” he said.

* * *

Ivan was brought into the dungeons later that day in chains.

After all that, and he’d lost Tolys after all.

That Jones boy had better _hope_ he never saw him again, because if he did, Ivan would _snap_ him right in half. As he was led to a desk for processing by the Captain of the Guard, he passed by the the Captain of the Guard’s older brother and a young woman—a platinum blonde, with deep violet eyes.

Something like hope shifted in his chest; he knew those eyes.

“Nikolai!” he said.

Ivan quickly found himself with a dagger to his throat.

“How do you know my father’s name?” she demanded.

“Your father?” Ivan questioned. “Nikolai is—was—my baby brother! I lost him during a raid on my village, during the last war with Fennescandia.”

The woman, looking as if she’d seen a ghost, hesitated, lowering the dagger slightly.

* * *

“Do you think they’ll like me?” Tolys asked Alfred as they waited on the castle balcony.

“They’re your parents,” Alfred answered. “Course they will.Besides, I don’t think it’s possible not to like you.”

Alfred gave him a sunny smile.

Behind them, the balcony doors opened.

Tolys turned to see the King and Queen; Alfred stepped back.

The Queen, in particular, looked just like him—even more so in person. They had the same shade of brown hair, the same eyes, the same soft features…

Tolys started forwards; his parents—his real parents—rushed forwards and embraced him.

Everyone cried a little bit that day.

* * *

The next day, Lovino and Feliciano approached Matthew.

“Do you know where Alfred is?” Lovino asked.

“Probably with Tolys,” Matthew responded.Now that the guilty party had been caught, he’d warmed towards Lovino and Feliciano considerably.

Logically, he knew it wasn’t their fault, and he shouldn’t have been so cold to them.

As if on cue, Alfred and Tolys came into the Snuggly Duckling.

“Alfred!” Feliciano cried, running over to him.“We’re really, really sorry!”

“What for?” Alfred said, looking bewildered.“You still haven’t told me.”

Lovino walked over to them.

“Uh—you remember how you got arrested?” He said.

“Considering it happened a few days ago, yeah,” Alfred said.

“Well—we were working with Ivan Braginsky.”

Lovino said all of this very quickly.

“What?” Alfred said.

“We were working with that asshole, Ivan Braginsky.You weren’t supposed to get hurt, he promised if we helped him get his—help him get Tolys back, he wouldn’t hurt you,” Lovino said.

“And he told us Tolys was his son! We didn’t know!” Feliciano added.

“And then he got you fucking arrested anyways, even though we did exactly what he said,” Lovino said.“So—sorry, Alfred.I know you—”

“It’s okay,” Alfred said.

“Really?” Matthew said.Okay, so maybe he hadn’t _completely_ forgiven them.

“Well, they were lied to, right? So they’re victims, too.Ivan Braginsky’s the villain, not them.”

“I shouldn’t have blamed you, either,” Matthew put in.“I was upset.But Alfred’s right.”

Lovino looked immensely relieved.

“He lied to me, too,” Tolys put in.“For years.He can be persuasive when he wants to be.”

“We’re still really sorry, Alfred,” Feliciano said.

“Oi! Didn’t you hear him?” Lovino said.“We’re victims, too!”

Matthew couldn’t help but laughing along with Alfred.

* * *

Iryna stared as Natalya took a seat across from her.

“Gilbert Beilschmidt wants me to try and join the Royal Guard,” Natalya said.“He said he was impressed with my knife skills.”

Whatever Iryna had been expecting, it wasn’t that.

“Oh—Natasha, that’s wonderful!” She said.“Are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know,” she said.“I wanted to know what you think.”

“What I think doesn’t matter,” Iryna said.“If you want to, go on ahead.It’s your life, Natasha, not mine.You should make your own choices.”

Natalya was silent for another moment.

“That’s not all, is it?” Iryna asked.

“No,” she said.“Beilschmidt was talking to me when Ivan Braginsky was brought in.”

“Okay,” Iryna said, not sure where this was going.

“He knew our father’s name,” Natalya said.

Iryna felt the air suddenly leave her lungs.

“What—how—” she said, but something stirred in her memory.Wasn’t Braginsky one of the possible surnames from their father’s village?

“He said he had a baby brother named Nikolai,” Natalya said.“He lost him in a Fennescandian raid, supposedly.”

“And you want to talk to him,” Iryna said.

“Yes,” Natalya said.“If he knows something, we should try and get it out of him.”

“He’s a dangerous criminal, Natasha,” Iryna said.

“Didn’t you just say I should make my own choices?” Natalya said.

“I didn’t mean—yes.I did say that,” Iryna said.“If you want to, I won’t stop you.But I’m not going to.Even if he is related to us, I don’t want to see him.”

“That’s fine,” Natalya said.“But I’m going.I have to know.”

* * *

As the days passed things began to settle down.

King Feliks, in his usual dramatic fashion, not only repealed his harsh laws punishing thieves, reverting them to normal punishments for thievery, but simply banned all forms of executions all together (“That was this can, like, never happen again!”).

Ivan Braginsky was sentenced to life in prison.

Roderich Edelstein and Erika Vogel were severely reprimanded for the letter, but given that if they hadn’t acted, then King Feliks and Queen Daina would never have gotten their son back, they were let off with a fine (it helped that Queen Daina was never in any actual danger).

Alfred Jones was cleared of all charges, and was happily dating Tolys.

Then, one day, Ivan got a visitor.

* * *

Natalya slid into a chair and stared at Ivan Braginsky.

“What happened that night?” she asked.

“Whatever do you mean?” he said.

“You know what I mean,” she said. “My name is Natalya Arlovskaya.You knew my father’s name. You said he was your brother.What happened?”

Ivan studied her before responding.

“The raid came on quickly,” he said. “My parents were killed in front of me. My mother was barely able to shove Nikolai into Dmytro’s arms.”

“Who’s Dmytro?” Natalya asked.

Ivan looked momentarily heartbroken before answering.

“He was my older brother,” he answered. “Do you know how Nikolai survived?”

“My grandfather said he found Nikolai hidden away in a basement,” she said.

“Dmytro must have hidden Nikolai then gone looking for me,” Ivan said. “We got separated in all the chaos.”

“He had a blanket,” Natalya offered. “With his name stitched on it.”

Ivan brightened.

“I made that for him,” Ivan said. “Is he—”

“No,” Natalya said. “He died during the consumption epidemic five years ago. My sister and I survived.”

“You have a sister?” Ivan asked.

“Yes,” Natalya said. “You tried to kill her boyfriend’s twin brother.”

“Ah,” Ivan said. “So, I take it she does not want to see me?” 

“No,” Natalya said. “She doesn’t.”

Iryna wasn’t even thrilled with Natalya coming.

“And—what of Tolys?” Ivan asked. “He is well?”

“He is fine,” Natalya said shortly.

“I haven’t seen him,” Ivan said.

“Probably because he doesn’t want to see you, either,” Natalya said. “Good-bye, Ivan.”

She left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heracles is Greece.


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred and Tolys attend a wedding.

Wedding bells were ringing.

Not Alfred and Tolys’s wedding—they weren’t quite ready for that—but the wedding bells for Roderich and Erzsébet’s wedding.

The flowers were beautiful—ordered from Mei’s flower shop—Tolys had helped her get the money to start it. Alfred and Tolys had helped all the Snuggly Patrons get on the track to achieving their dreams.

The ceremony was over now, and all the guests were mingling and chatting—and, in some cases, dancing.

Matthew and Iryna were dancing in the corner. Currently, Matthew was captain of Polania's only ice hockey team, and Iryna had recently opened a shop selling knitted clothing items.

Natalya was nearby—she’d joined the Royal Guard at Gilbert’s invitation.

Michelle, back fresh from her first semester of school (it was amazing how quickly she’d been accepted when the Crown Prince put in a word), was chatting with the guests.Feliciano and Lovino, now employed as cooks at the castle, were attempting to woo a pair of women.

The King and Queen themselves were chatting to a large group of guests; after everything had blown over, King Feliks's father had managed to avoid jail, but was now completely cut off from his son, most likely for life.

“Hey, Erzsébet!” Alfred said.

“Hello, Alfred,” Erzsébet said. She was positively _glowing_. Roderich was at her side, looking happier than Tolys had ever seen him.

“Congrats! Oh, and the cake was great! Hope you like your present, it was Tolys’s idea! He’s a genius!”

“Alfred,” Tolys said.

“What? It’s true, babe!”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Erzsébet said. “And you, Your Highness.”

“We do hope you enjoy yourselves,” Roderich said.

“Thanks!”

“Come on, Tolys! Let’s dance!” Alfred said. “If  you want to, that is…”

Tolys smiled.

“I’d love to,” he said.

They swayed together, their lips meeting in a kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> Ivan: *scrooge mcduck voice* I did the only logical thing. I broke into the castle and stole the baby.
> 
> Also, Polania is based very, very, loosely on the Polish-LIthuanian Commonwealth. I say very, very, loosely because it a) wasn't around in the 1840s, and b) wouldn't be okay with homosexuality (which is why this is a fantasy world).
> 
> Tolys is Lithuania--Toris is not a real name, let alone a Lithuanian one.
> 
> Daina is nyo!Lithuania.


End file.
